Iron Dragons and Firelegs
by Femme Bono
Summary: A group of military officers help in the fight against Voldemort. One seems to find a lot in common with the snarky spy for the Order... In answer to a "Death Eaters in Pain" challenge. Warnings: Violence, Lemons/Limes, Death, H/C. A little LM/OC too
1. Chapter 1

**Iron Dragons and Firelegs**

Cht. 1 Over the rainbow

"Jesus, Dodds, did you even know this place was here?" Captain Lacey looked around aghast as she took in her surroundings. She and two lieutenants stood alongside three RAF officers in the middle of what looked like a village straight out of the dark ages. The High Street wasn't even paved, with no cars in sight, and here and there people bustled about in brightly colored robes as if hurrying for cover. Some of the stores, too, were boarded up. A sign in one shop window read, "Gladrags Wizard Wear, established 1108."

"Never in my life," answered her British counterpart, a perfectly affable flight lieutenant named Brian.

"What do you suppose, sir, some type of weird cult or something? They can't really be wizards, can they?" This from flying officer Kellye Brynn, who surveyed the scene with blatant cynicism. Lacey's lieutenants, Hancock and Thorpe, both stood hipshot in the middle of the street looking around in utter bewilderment as pilot officer Brandon Thom lit up a ciggy, taking a drag through narrowed eyes.

"I have no bloody clue," replied Dodds. "I've never seen anything like it."

They had come north to Scotland from their base on orders handed straight down from the Prime Minister as an envoy to aid in what he described as a whole other world of witches and wizards, who may be in dire need of their help. They left the government issued van parked alongside the first store in the row and walked the length of the shops to the base of a hill with heavy iron gates flanked with statues of winged boars.

"Now what?" asked Lacey, trying the gates and finding them unwilling to budge despite the lack of a lock.

"I dunno," replied Dodds. "They know we're coming, I'm sure."

At that moment, the gates swung open to admit the six officers onto the grounds of a vast castle that appeared at the top of the hill.

"And to think," Hancock piped up with a thick Georgia drawl, "we didn't even have to ring the dang doorbell."

"Too right, that," said Thom.

"Well, come on then, let's see what's what," said Dodds, waving them on. They started the trek up the hill, exclaiming at a huge facility they took for a stadium of sorts. Off to their left as they neared the castle was a rather large cabin, with a fireplace smoking away and beyond the strangest willow tree any of them had ever seen. Further still to the south was what must have been a fathoms deep lake that butted right up to a cliff just at the edge of the castle. As the group approached the great oak doors at castle's entrance, they swung open to reveal an elderly lady in emerald green robes with square-framed spectacles and a tight top knot.

"How do you do all?" she said with a Scottish brogue as she offered her hand to each airman in turn. "I am Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. Won't you step in?"

They all shook hands with the strangely dressed woman and stepped into a grand foyer flanked by doors on other side with massive stone stairways leading up and down and great crystal vials containing colored stones. If the wizarding city had flummoxed the crew, it was nothing compared to the sheer awe they felt at finding themselves in what was obviously an immense fortress full of magic. Their heads turned this way and that as they followed Headmistress McGonagall up two flights of stairs to the second floor. The men and women tried to stay calm as they passed portraits that appeared to be moving, some of them waving to them.

"Oh boys," said Lacey, "we've gone completely over the rainbow now."

"Dude! Dude! Dude! Look at the cat, man!" whispered Thorpe, tapping Hancock on the arm. "What the hell, dude!"

"Holy--" blurted Hancock when he looked down to see a mangy tabby passing them by as she gazed up at them through red eyes.

The shock was nothing compared to the jolt they received when the woman stopped in front of a stone gargoyle and said simply, "Fizzing Whizbee." Before any of them could question just what that was, the gargoyle moved to reveal a secret passage of steps spiraling up. Leading the way, McGonagall opened a door at the top and ushered them into a grand office, with more moving portraits and a man standing to meet them who looked like their every image of Merlin himself.

"Welcome, welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he said, his eyes dancing in merriment at their guests' blatant shock. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I thank you for coming so swiftly to our aid."


	2. Chapter 2

_FYI, this is probably going to go AU to the extreme since we still have a real live Dumbledore, none of that Draco as Death Eater foolishness, and DD is actually working with Scrimgeour. I'm making him much more open and honest, so hold on to your seats._

Cht. 2 All cards on the table

"How do you do," said Dodds, shaking his hand, before the old man turned to each of them and greeted them in turn. He and McGonagall quickly ushered them to a table near the fireplace ringed with seats. As they all got comfortable, the wizard conjured a couple of plates loaded with sandwiches and flagons of some sort of orange drink, all out of thin air. Their senses overloaded with the obvious displays of magic, the group no longer said anything even though they all sat agog at the latest development.

"I was made aware of your assignment to our school by our own ex-Minister for Magic recently, Cornelius Fudge," said Dumbledore seating himself. "I was also told that you met with him via your major?" Dodds made a sound of assent before the wizard continued. "And I trust you are the delegation that they chose to send forth?"

"Yes, sir," Lacey piped up. "We are stationed with the 451st Information Operations Squadron out of Menwith Hill, just south of here a few hours or so. Typically we run more towards communications, breaking codes, encrypting and so on. However, since we are also the closest intelligence detachment and they wanted this kept quiet, we were sent. There will be ten others arriving tomorrow-five American, five British-once we have been able to lay the ground work tonight for whatever you need here."

She paused only a moment before coming to the question she had most been meaning to ask. "Sir, with all due respect, what exactly are we facing here? We were informed that there is some evil dark wizard who is banding together a bunch of beings and...other wizards in an effort to eradicate _us_. Now my men and I were hand-picked because it just so happened that we opened fire on some freaking huge beings that I can only call giants, down near Bristol not less than a year ago. We opened fire and took them out before your men arrived and took over. As I'm made to understand they were supposed to wipe our memories, but your minister and ours at that point began discussing plans for a possible collaboration since we were able to handle those things. So, if you'll excuse me, we have a million questions and I really hope we can count on full disclosure here before this goes any further."

Dumbledore steepled his fingers and drew a breath. "As it happens, I am perfectly willing to answer any questions you may have. I will first confess, however, that I am not entirely enamored with the idea of your being here, despite the Ministry thinking we should have all hands on deck as it were." Most of the crew sat back from the table, clearly affronted. Thorpe's mouth hung open, showing a half-chewed wad of sandwich. Lacey spared him a disdainful glance before Dumbledore explained.

"If I am not much mistaken your modus operandi is typically to kill the enemy. I do not espouse any action as major as that if it can be helped at all."

"Whoa," said Lacey holding up a hand. "And neither do we. Whenever we do engage an enemy, we do it with respect to that person's life and with the intent that they should imminently surrender. If however it comes down to a question to their lives or ours, it will be ours."

"Well put, Captain," Thorpe slurred around a mouthful of turkey club.

"So that said, who is this wizard Voldemort and what do we need to do to regulate him?"

With that, Dumbledore launched into an explanation of the rise and fall of a man-wizard named Tom Riddle, an orphaned boy named Harry Potter, and the subsequent resurrection of Voldemort. Speaking to an increasingly rapt audience, Dumbledore only stopped in his description of the soul receptacles when the story was broken by Brynn blurting out, "a whore _what_sit?" She and Lacey spared each other a glance.

"A horcrux," Dumbledore said simply. "One word."

"Right." And so he continued uninterrupted until he came to the more recent events: disappearances, raids, and the occurrences nearly a year ago of the giant attack, the destruction of the Brockdale Bridge and the Bones and Vance murders.

"Sweet Jesus," said Dodds. "No wonder you need us, but they did all that with magic... I dunno, can they be stopped with our weapons?"

"Certainly," said Dumbledore. "Even including Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort as it were, they are all perfectly mortal and injure just as easily as yourselves. However, he does now have at his command certain, beings, as you put it, that are not mortal. Inferi, he has used before and has been using again recently. Likewise, dementors, which you cannot see."

"You mean those things floating around that look like grim reapers?" asked Thorpe, who had finally filled his belly.

"They are cloaked, hooded beings, yes," marveled McGonagall. "D-do you mean you _can_ see them?"

"Yes, ma'am," answered Hancock. "I been seein' them damn things everywhere. Ever since the giants we come across, as a matter of fact."

"That's exactly right," added Lacey. "Ever since we met up with those things, we've noticed all kinds of things. Weird little beings in forests and whatnot... it's like a whole magical world opened up to us after that."

"Ah," sighed Dumbledore. "Ever since you were made aware that magic existed you have been able to see it wherever it is. Your eyes had been opened, so to speak."

"I suppose that's why they figured we could handle this," posed Dodds.

"So exactly what sort of weaponry are you bringing to aid in this battle? How do you plan to fight these things?" asked McGonagall.

"Well, since Minister Fudge warned us about those Inferi things already, we've been allotted a couple of flamethrowers," answered Lacey.

"And we've been issued the use of a MQ-1 Predator, basically an unmanned aircraft that we typically use to take down heavy artillery like tanks and such-" Dodds added.

"Tanks?" questioned Dumbledore.

"Yes, they are armored vehicles that fire extremely dangerous, really big rounds of ammunition. To take out something like that, which is usually impenetrable, the Predator comes equipped with two Hellfire missiles."

"They spout hellfire?" prompted McGonagall.

"No, ma'am," said Hancock smiling. "You'd think it was though."

"The boys tomorrow will also be flyin' in by helicopter," Hancock put in, "and we'll be usin' that thing in case we need another air assault."

"We gave them some approximate coordinates for the place and they'll move in from there," Dodds pointed out. "They know what to look for even if we can't plot it on any maps. So we figured they'd be better coming in from some distance away. It worked for us today, in fact, as we couldn't even see this ruddy great castle until we were already in the gates."

"Of course, of course," replied Dumbledore. "There are any number of enchantments on the grounds to keep away Muggles and help keep our end of this world a secret. Perfectly understandable, yes."

"Well at least that explains why we've never picked you up on satellite or through any surveillance planes," said Lacey.

"Quite so," said Dumbledore nodding. "Now, if you all don't mind. You did have a fairly long journey today and quite a lengthy meeting here as is. I think it best that for now we show you to your quarters and we continue the whys and wherefores on the morrow. Then we may press on with hammering out our plan of attack as you might put it. I have my own sort of intelligence source, as you say. He will be here tomorrow with any information he may have obtained recently from the enemy camp."

And with that enigmatic reference, he rose and ushered them up many more flights of stairs to a tower hidden behind the portrait of a garish looking obese woman where he left them to unwind after a very full day. They oohed and aahed over the immaculate decor consisting of any number of antiques such as well-cared for tapestries and furniture upholstered in scarlet and gold trimmings. The two women climbed yet another staircase to find their quarters, finer than any barracks they were used to by far. There were five beds in a circular room, lined with plus velvet red curtains. Sighing deeply, Lacey and Brynn dropped their heavy packs onto the beds and flopped down beside them. Suddenly too tired to even check out the bathroom, they stripped out of their BDUs and settled into bed, their minds and stomachs full. As Lacey drifted off to sleep, she wondered at what the next day would bring when they all met the spy Dumbledore had hinted at, before she moved into dreams where she launched grenades at dead bodies that picked themselves up and kept coming.


	3. Chapter 3

Cht. 3, Digging the trenches

Lacey's breath huffed out in wisps of frost as she ran, the familiar cadence running through her head as she muttered it under her breath.

_141 cruising down the strip  
Air Force maggots on a one way trip _

_Mission top secret, destination unknown  
Don't even know if we're ever coming home _

_Arrived in the jungle at a quarter to four  
We got off the plane and were ready for war _

_We won the battle and we won the war  
Then partied all night at the local bar _

_Riding high and feeling good  
Feel like stars in Hollywood _

_The Air Force is second to none  
We can't be beaten, we're number one!_

She jogged through her early morning mile, trying to adjust herself to the higher altitude as she simultaneously considered it a scouting mission of sorts. This was the best way, first thing in the morning, to suss out the terrain and get to know the grounds better. She had run down from the castle, along the fringe of the forest and past the gamekeeper's hut, now skirting the lake. She received a nasty shock on her way when the willow tree she had noted the day before suddenly sprang to life, twisting and snapping its branches in a blatant attack. Lacey had ducked and rolled, low-crawling away before she finally lay back on her elbows and watched the thing settle again once she was out of range. "Damnedest thing," she thought, "maybe we can use that." After the incident, she used the adrenaline rush to carry her the rest of the way through her run. When she came up to the edge of the cliff, Lacey circled back and retraced her path, coming out near the forest behind Professor Hagrid's cabin. As she did so, she slowed her gait, having the distinct impression of being watched. Yesterday, in the interest of their safety, Dumbledore had mentioned some of the beings that lived in the forest, but she felt certain that none of them came this close to the school. The feeling intensified, and thankful that she was already warmed up and had shed the encumbering sweatshirt that was now wrapped around her waist, Lacey stopped near a tree stump and began stretching, facing the woods to try and surreptitiously see what or who she felt was there.

Not soon after she did, he appeared. Lacey had to give credit where it was due, despite a complete lack of camouflage, other than head-to-toe black, the man made no noise as he stepped out from the darkened cover of woods into the morning sunlight. One raised brow, a small smile playing his lips, he looked for all the world like the villainous rake of a Victorian novel. If she read any of those. Lacey straightened up, chin lifted, readying herself. When he stopped three feet away and inclined his head, Lacey relaxed her stance. Somewhat.

"I take it you are one of the American Muggles sent to help us fight the Dark Lord?" he intoned sotto voce, in a voice of velvet. Lacey tried to decide whether she wanted to get him drunk and hand him a book of poetry or try to get him to sing. Or maybe undo some of those buttons.

"Yes. Captain Lacey," she said, hand outstretched. "Are you are... our spy from their faction?"

"Indeed, Captain," he answered, clasping her hand briefly. "Severus Snape, at your service. Shall I escort you in?"

"Sure." _Escort? He must have read those novels, too._

They trudged silently up the hill for only a moment, before his information gathering instincts got the better of him.

"It seems your men are also determined to continue their regimens here. I have witnessed one out doing some sort of calisthenics toward the other end of the Forbidden Forest, not to mention two others running up and down the stairs inside the castle itself. I did wonder if I should tell them the staircases move..."

"They move." _Moving staircases, waving portraits, red-eyed cats and giants...what next?_

"Of course."

"Well, why wouldn't they?" she said with an incredulous laugh.

"Are you enjoying your stay in _Gryffindor_ tower?"

Lacey wondered briefly what the derisive emphasis was for before answering him.

"I like it a lot up there actually, it's better by far than any of the barracks I've stayed in, and definitely beats the hell out of a tent in the middle of the desert. Besides, way up there I can see what's coming from all sides. That's a good defensive position."

"I will grant that," he said, "I have never been a fan of that particular house, however. Far too many brash dunderheads with a talent for breaking rules... And yet, you mention being in a tent in a desert, what may I ask was that in reference to?"

"Desert Storm. I was stationed in Kuwait during part of it, for intelligence. You and I have very similar jobs, it seems."

Severus made a sound of assent as they reached the heavy doors. Stepping in before her, he held the door as she walked through, amazed at the gesture. Before she could reach the stairs, he cupped her arm and pulled her toward another set of double doors.

"I'm sure you would wish to refresh yourself, however, breakfast is already being served and we will be discussing what news I have here."

"Ah, well let's get this on."

As it was, the food was fantastic. The military crew had another moment of amazement when they were told that it was all prepared by actual elves, and they considered it a huge compliment to their hosts' hospitality that the platters appearing in front of them were both American and British favorites. In addition to the customary sausages and black pudding were cantaloupe slices, blueberry pancakes, carafes of caffeinated and decaf coffee, and "grits!" cried Hancock, who promptly spooned them up.

Once the plates were cleared the team sat and pored over photographs of those known to be Death Eaters, as Voldemort called his minions. As they perused each photograph, mostly prison pictures, Snape outlined each person's signature moves and flaws. He came to one wild-haired woman, oddly named Bella, whose favorite move was a Cruciatus Curse. As he described the essentials of it, Hancock blew out a breath.

"Bitch likes to play nasty, huh?"

"It sounds a bit like shock therapy," said Brynn disgustedly. "She likes torture, this one."

"It's alright, that," snorted Thom. "Sure and we can teach her a few things, eh, Brynn?"

"Too right we can. I hope I get a chance at her, scary trick."

Severus, however, did not look much amused at the inherent bravado in his new comrades. His eyes glittering, he passed over another photo from a news clipping someone had taken of a young couple who had been clearly unhinged.

"Should you meet her," he clipped, "you may wish you hadn't. This couple, name of Longbottom, was tortured so long and so mercilessly by her that they lost their sanity."

"Hey, but we're all vets here, except Brynn," said Thorpe holding up his hands in mock surrender. "She just got commissioned, but we've seen stuff like this, sir, just not with magic. We've been up against people who torture, maim, kill, and victimize the innocent. The only difference is the ones we've seen use other weapons. We're taking this seriously, man. _Seriously_."

Once they had gone through all the photos, with each officer getting copies to familiarize themselves with later, Snape moved into the intelligence he had received at last night's meeting. He claimed the enemy was encamped at a manor house in Wiltshire, and plotting an attack on Hogsmeade on the evening of September first. He knew it to be a viable plan because he had overheard Voldemort issuing orders and mentioning that he himself would be there. It also confirmed suspicions that he already had, as he had learned of the push for "proper" wizarding families to pull their children from the school and send them abroad or have them tutored at home. Now that the warning had gone out, apparently, the ones whose children showed up for their start of term would pay dearly. However, as Dumbledore pointed out, this left them an advantage. Knowing that the attack was coming, and that the Death Eater's children had been surreptitiously withdrawn, they could safely delay the start of term until further notice by charming the notification letters to make the recipients forget the departure date. It would allow them about a month's time to make a final stand against Voldemort and repair any damages afterwards. Now having the certainty of the attack gave them all a bolster; it meant steps they could take into some sort of action and gave them a firmer purpose. As Severus mentioned, it was his suspicions that finally prompted the Ministry to request help in staving it off.

With the sun well up in the sky, Dumbledore and Severus led the team off the grounds, using a hidden entrance to the south that must have led under the lake and up again, until they walked straight out of the base of a large oak on the edge of a clearing lined with heather and bracken. The team was standing for only a few moments when they heard the telltale beating of choppers coming in low to the ground. As the crafts landed, they watched the blades slow to a standstill as ten men and women hoisted duffle bags over their shoulders and crept out to a safe enough distance that they could stand. Lacey and Thom swept forward to greet the rest of their soldiers and introduce them to the two wizards gazing fixedly at the massive helicopters. Lacey's troops were all men: Clark, Vandekamp, Jesup, Inch, and Dyess. The latter three had all been with her the day they encountered the giants, but the former had no idea what awaited them. As a result, Lacey wasted no time once they were back up in the tower.

She gave them an hour, allowing them time to settle themselves in their rooms, unload their packs and get assembled again before she debriefed them, using the photographs and information from Severus and Dumbledore. It had helped that Clark and Vandekamp met Professor Hagrid on the hike back up to the castle, making it much easier for them to believe the story of the giant attack near Bristol. Added to that, on entering the castle, Vandekamp embarrassed himself by yelping aloud when a ghost swept up the stairs straight through him, much to the amusement of the other airmen. Yet once her men were apprised of the situation and she was sure they were prepared to handle the situation with the utmost brevity, Lacey left in Dyess in charge and met the other officers in the entrance hall. They returned through the town as they had come the night before, stopping off at the Three Broomsticks at Dumbledore's suggestion to ensure that they were seen leaving. Lacey and Thorpe had a ringing conversation about the strange little town below the ruined castle and how they would be reporting to their commanding officer that they had seen plenty of weird clothes, but nothing otherwise amiss. After buying up several bottles of mulled mead and spiced currant rum, they drove out of town, circled around to a secluded area of the forest, downloaded the rest of their gear, stretched a camouflage net over the van effectively hiding it from view, and suited up with the invisibility cloaks they'd borrowed. Hiking the few miles back into town, they sneaked into the candy shop as instructed, found their way to the basement and followed a passage there straight back to the castle and just in time for dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

_I apologize most profusely, grovel at your feet and offer up this new chapter as penance for such a long absence. No doubt you've noticed all's been quiet on the update front...until now. Honestly, kids take it all out of you as I'm sure Snape would agree. At any rate, I have a school year winding down--two weeks left to go--and then an endless summer yawning before me. Which means I get to finish these stories. Not to mention, the Muse has been beating me over the head with the inspiration and direction for at least two of them, so I have outlines at last. Take comfort._

Cht. 4 Wetting Down

In the interest of celebrating Brynn's new promotion, the team had conspired even in the unusual environs to respect one of the military's most time-honored traditions...a wetting down, which Severus surmised was very aptly named. Given the sheer amount of liquor they had brought back from the Three Broomsticks, the Muggle contingency seemed hell bent on pickling the poor girl--as well as themselves--before she could so much as enjoy the extra pounds in her pocket from the considerable pay rise she had been given with her newly appointed rank. Adding insult to an injurious hangover surely yawning before them next morning, Hagrid took it upon himself to bring a gargantuan jug of potcheen...sadly, of his own making and sure to strip the teeth from their gums. One belt from the tankard he had been supplied with and the Muggle Hancock had proclaimed soundly that he would be "drunker'n Cooter Brown with two more swigs." He and Hagrid, already fast friends, had laughed raucously at this, clapped each other on the back (or the elbow in Hagrid's case) and proceeded to get unabashedly pissed.

An hour into the event, Brynn herself was already into the tipsy giggles stage as Minerva gifted her with her very own bottle of Ogden's, apparently a very traditional present for those involved in the custom. Most everyone was well into his or her respective cups by eleven and Severus could already imagine them scarcely an hour more hence. He pictured the sight of them, passed out on the tables of the Great Hall, staggering back to their quarters with their stomachs as well as themselves pitching and rolling up the stairs, or likely, getting lost entirely as the moving portraits and staircases seemed to conspire against them making their way back. He barely bit back the smirk that threatened at the thought, and reflected instead on memories of his father stumbling home well after the pubs had closed, the sour smell of whiskey, sweat and vomit roiling off of him, watching his mum put the man to bed as one would a child... With a jerk of his head, as if to flick off the memories, Severus looked once more around the room. The Muggle Thom seemed to be getting on quite well with Dumbledore--well enough that Severus wondered idly if they both played on the same team. More disconcerting was the sight of Dodds and Thorpe hunched together as conspiratorially as ever the Weasley twins had done; thankfully a simple look into their minds, albeit past the alcohol haze, sufficed enough to let him know they were simply spinning stories of their sexual exploits. Judging from what snippets he had seen, both accounts were wildly exaggerated. The newer members of the team, having arrived earlier in the day were spread around in similar groups, all apparently three sheets to the wind.

Oddly enough, however, one of their number did not seem intent on reexamining the contents of her stomach in the wee hours of morning. Captain Lacey, still remarkably clear-eyed despite even the alcoholic haze of the room, had been nursing the same cup of mead. Severus watched as she rose, topped off only her second goblet of the evening and cast a weary glance around as if wishing she were anywhere but there. Before he realized what he had done, Severus himself had risen from the high table, thereby catching her eye and making it impossible to sit back down without her wondering what he was about. She offered a tentative smile, and the one he returned looked more like a grimace.

"Are you heading out?" she asked with a wistful note. "I hate to be the first to leave a party, but if you're off I can make my excuses and feel better for it. Not to mention I'll need somebody to aim me in the right direction to get back to the tower. I don't think I could find it with an orienteering team and a set of compasses at this point."

Using his gift for thinking quickly on his feet, Severus replied, "I actually had thought to bring your friend Brynn a bottle of the elfmade wine from my chambers. They're located in the dungeon, but if you wish I could direct you back to your rooms..." The quicker he got away from the stifling small talk and flammable fumes and back to the dark quiet of the dungeons the better.

Instead of deterring her, his preamble only raised more questions. At the mention of his chambers' locale, Lacey's eyebrows shot up. "This castle even has a dungeon? Seriously? That's fierce! Could you give me the dollar tour? I mean--not now, obviously...but," her face flushed a bit, "geez, it's just so amazing being here. And _elves_, making wine, I mean my God. That's just so cool. Sorry, I know I sound like the proverbial kid in the candy store, but I just can't get over it. I'm sure you're used to all this, but it's really rocking my world."

Profoundly amazed at the outright awe in her voice, Severus shifted his stance a bit. He was used to any number of reactions about his world, from the mute rage his father had felt at being duped out of his normalcy by a woman who did not announce her 'abnormality' until she had already become his wife, to bitter jealousy from the likes of Petunia Evans. Undone by the childlike wonder in a woman who was surely into her thirties if she was a day, he could not help but want to preen a bit and showcase more of his world before her eyes.

With that thought in mind, he answered, "perfectly understandable. In my case, I was raised with a foot in both worlds as it were. Having seen the stark contrast, I can understand and appreciate what it must be like to come from one so abruptly into another."

"If you like you can accompany me to my quarters and I will retrieve the bottle for Lieutenant Brynn, before I point you on your way."

"Seriously?" she said, looking as if Christmas had come early. "If you're anywhere near as tired as I am you've got to be dying to get to bed. I'll try not to intrude--at least not for too long."

***

She kept true to her word, following behind him down the stairs and barely gasping at the torches which lit themselves ahead as they walked, circling ever lower until the damp told her that surely the shadowy recesses of the dungeons stretched under the lake. Lacey was amused to realize that she was following as a subordinate, two steps back and one to the right. In this world, it seemed fair since she was definitely out of her league. It surprised her that this taciturn man of stiff nods and ramrod bearing had even deigned to invite her into his inner sanctum. She smiled at the thought of some of the silly childhood games she had played as a "Muggle" kid, pretending at magic even as he must have been discovering that he had honest to God powers like none she had ever seen. Thinking on it, Lacey fought back the urge to laugh at this severe _Severus_ playing "light as a feather, stiff as a board." Surely he was the latter, but definitely didn't look the former, what with those broad shoulders and a good six feet of height at least. Chiding herself as she felt the telltale pull in her belly, Lacey admitted that it had been too long and British accents were too tempting, but this was neither the time nor the place. She had a job to do and the last thing she needed was a complication in the form of an enigmatic Man in Black. With admirable timing, he jolted her from her thoughts as he stopped abruptly in front of a heavy oak door banded with iron and a simple looking ringed latch.

He merely tapped it once, causing it to swing open into a walnut paneled room that looked like anything but a dungeon. There were shelves of books lining the walls, a roaring fire in a huge fireplace of green marble over which hung a massive painting of a man who sat with narrowed eyes as he stroked a pointy beard. Lacey, who had brought her goblet of mead down with her, took a much needed pull when the man launched himself out of the chair and left the frame, seemingly in a huff.

Severus barely spared him a glance, "you'll have to forgive Phineas. He does not think very highly of Muggles; it seems your presence offends him."

"Mm. Really congenial guy. Is he--was he like your Voldemort? 'Let them all burn'?"

"No, rather, it was to let them muck along on their side of the fence and we keep to ours. No sullying the bloodlines."

"Sullying..." at that Lacey plopped down unceremoniously on a leather settee and placed her goblet on the table flanking it. Severus made no apologies, simply watched her intently as he folded himself into a wing backed chair opposite her and leaned back comfortably.

"There are many in our world who believe as he did, by no means to the extent of the Dark Lord, but simply that never the twain should meet. As you are aware there are statutes in place specifically to keep our world secret from yours. There are certain prejudices on either side, truly, look at your medieval witch hunts for example. They hardly ever got a 'guilty' party, in a matter of speaking, and if they did, to what end? A simple charm or spell, even better an outright Disapparition and the maniacal inquisitors were left empty-handed and even more afraid than before. That's all it's borne out of in the end, fear."

"And what of witches and wizards then?" Lacey asked, balling her fists in her lap and perching herself on the edge of her seat. "All prejudices are born of fear, so why fear us? We have less power and no knowledge of you people for the most part. Why--"

"Because prejudices, especially because they are born of fear, are irrational. The fear in that case is not of outright annihilation but of extermination by dilution. That our powers would be weakened by proliferation. That, in a word, the more we intermingle and intermarry with Muggles, the weaker the magic becomes until it disappears completely."

"Ridiculous."

"But very real in the minds of witches and wizards alike--especially the older families. Purebloods," he said, rising to a cabinet near the fireplace and retrieving another bottle and a glass. He gestured with the bottle after pouring for himself; Lacey simply raised her goblet for him to fill. "'Pureblood' is actually a relative term," he continued. "Truly no family can claim absolute purity from non-magical ancestry. Most do not go back more than four generations before they find some Muggle relations."

"I don't suppose I can say much," Lacey said sighing as she took a heady sip of blood red wine, savoring it on her tongue. "There's the same BS in our world too. Religious factions who don't like each other, political rivalries, warring ideologies, class systems..."

Severus gestured vaguely with his glass. "All competing to see who can be the biggest bully in the yard."

"Sometimes," she allowed, "though a lot of the time it's coming to the defense of the little guy. And a lot of people would argue over killing in the name of war or defense, saying that we _are_ just a bigger bully, for doing what we do, but that's not a fair comparison. Bullies are just that--people who are mean just for the sake of doing it. We're more like the teacher snatching the ball out of the bully's hand, handing it back to the little kid. If we were bigger bullies, so to speak, we'd snatch the ball from the tough guy and start bouncing it off both their heads. Though I will admit, sometimes that is a serious temptation."

Severus' mouth quirked in response at that, but Lacey plowed on. "Bullies have a sadistic pattern that makes them enjoy doing what they do. But you know as well as I, that for people like us--and we are alike you and I--there is no enjoyment in what we are forced to do. Except that it makes the world a better place, maybe not for us, but for other people. No, you and I have to deal with the aftermath of what we've done. The broken relationships, the nightmares, the reality. Trying to compromise the fact that we live in a world where there is such carnage and hate right alongside little girls playing hopscotch. And going straight from one to the other gives you a twisted form of vertigo."

She glanced up from her now empty glass to see Severus watching her, his black eyes reflecting the firelight. "You know what I'm talking about don't you? Are there specialists here who deal with that type of thing? PTSD?"

"What's this?"

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The almost unspoken of bane of military vets."

"Post Traumatic Stress...I had no idea there was a name."

"Huh," she barked out a hollow laugh. "If you can suffer from it, it has a name. It's just _cold sweats from nightmares where you see your buddies die over and over again and even have episodes in the daytime while alienating your family_ was too long a name for it."

Another sardonic twitch at the corner of his mouth told her he knew exactly what she meant.

"No, they don't really deal with that here. But then, no one has really been placed in the unique position I'm in," he said, raising his glass as if in a toast. "Dumbledore acts as sounding board on occasion, yet there again he's never truly been in my position. Not as I suspect you have." At that he fixed Lacey with a measuring gaze and she felt the sudden urge to squirm like a new recruit at her first inspection.

"Yeah, Severus we're cut out of the same mold, you and me," Lacey said, settling back onto the settee under his careful scrutiny. It was a while later after the conversation had returned to safer waters, that she finally nodded off curled up in the sitting room comfortably warmed by the smoldering fire and oblivious to Severus' watchful gaze. He wondered briefly what demons she fought in her dreams as he rose to take down the almost forgotten bottle of wine. It would have to wait until tomorrow, he thought, suddenly weary. And with one last glance at the sleeping woman, Severus stepped into his bedroom and pulled one of the blankets off an antique four-poster with emerald hangings. Draping it over Lacey's form, he turned trudging silently from the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5 Rescue Operations

Lacey made an attempt fairly early the next morning to roll over, only to fall onto the floor and bang her elbow on the table on her way down. Table? She blinked her bleary eyes, rubbing the now throbbing elbow and looked around as memories of the previous evening leached into her foggy brain. Remembering that these were Severus' quarters, she tried to listen out for signs of life and found none. Thick stone walls and oaken doors made it nearly impossible. The desire to find Severus and thus, her way back to her room, was overshadowed by a powerful need for the bathroom and an abject desire to not look like she was taking the walk of shame. Cringing at the thought, Lacey tried the first door on her right next to the fireplace and cabinet, finding an empty bedroom and beyond, at last, the lavatory. She refused to call it a latrine, and even in basic training had avoided the military label.

Once inside she took a brief look at herself in the mirror as she headed to the toilet and groaned. She looked like the morning after without having had the luxury of a "night before," and the screaming crick in her neck told her that she was not really as comfortable on the sofa as she had thought. Determined as she was to avoid the team's leading questions about why she looked so rough, Lacey turned the taps on full blast, hung her BDUs on a couple of wall hooks so the steam could get the worst of the wrinkles out, and climbed into the cavernous shower. Sighing deeply as the hot water eased her sore muscles, she looked around for toiletries only to summon a sneer worthy of Severus himself when she spied a single bar of soap on a small ledge. "Typical man," she groaned aloud. She pulled the elastic out of her hair, combing her fingers through the unruly curls that could only be tamed by constant French braiding; promising herself another shower later in the day, she rinsed it out as best she could before lathering up her body with the soap, which smelled faintly like Pine-Sol.

After doing all she could to revive and refresh herself, Lacey climbed out and wrapped a huge gray towel around her body. No sooner had she done so, than she was jolted nearly out of her skin by an earsplitting crack! as what looked like a pint-sized brownie with enormous eyes suddenly appeared. Shrieking for all the world like a banshee, Lacey nearly dropped the towel as she reached for the closest thing she had to a weapon. Raising one of her combat boots over her head, she commanded, "stay back or I'll clobber you!" barely registering the fact that the being was pulling its ears and twisting them while its lower lip trembled. It was also at that moment that the door thundered open, reverberating off the wall and swinging back to be caught again by none other than Severus, who stood framed in the door way with his wand out and an expression that was clearly all business. It was all Lacey could do not to yelp again.

"_What_ the blazes is going on," he clipped. No sooner had he said this, than his eyes took in the cowering elf and the indignant, nearly naked woman. A corner of his mouth twitched, but his expression remained bland as he turned his eyes to the small creature and lowered his wand. "Perhaps you or one of the other house elves could return a bit later? It seems Captain Lacey has not yet finished her toilet." His gaze flicked briefly back to Lacey, who slowly lowered her boot even as she felt the flush rising straight up to her ears. _House elf_, she thought, _who knew_? _Of course I should have known. They cook. Why wouldn't they clean, too?_ Lacey dropped the boot with a thud as full-on mortification set in. Clearing his throat as the elf bowed deeply and disappeared again with a crack, Severus backed out of the door without a word, closing it behind him.

Lacey abandoned all composure at that point. She let out the breath she had been holding and shakily lowered herself onto the edge of the bath, still clutching the towel to her chest. "Good Lord, what next," she said aloud.

"Typically, my dear, you would get dressed," said a male voice issuing from the mirror, which jolted her yet again.

Mentally chiding herself this time, Lacey resolved that by the time she had been here a week she might be a nervous wreck, but her reflexes would again be sharply honed if by nothing else than simply staying in the enchanted castle.

***

As soon as she was able to settle her system and make herself fairly presentable, Lacey found herself face to face with Severus back in his sitting room. She didn't get much more than a curt nod and a cursory set of directions back to the main hall, and she was unsure whether to be thankful that he remained mum about the earlier episode or if his silence on the subject meant she had somehow slipped in his assessment of her. He did nothing more than sweep his way into the bathroom she had just vacated and close the door with a snap.

Lacey could feel her ears turning pink again and without hesitation hurried upstairs in the hopes of finding Headmaster Dumbledore with a request that had occurred to her in the shower. Once there and her errand complete, she slipped outside to get in her physical training for the day. As Lacey neared the willow tree, she swung the sword and saber she had borrowed from the old wizard and swept a leg back into a defensive stance, preparing herself for the onslaught she knew would come.

"Alright now, I've got something for your bag of switches. Bring it on," she said tersely as the branches sprang to life.

Down they came in an arc, twisting this way, snapping that, as Lacey spun and parried. Strips of bark and pieces of leaves rained down, coating her hair and uniform as she whirled, slashing the blades in a bizarre dance. She tucked and rolled across her shoulder, using the momentum to come straight to standing again and hack at a particularly large branch. A few minutes into the exercise, her chest was heaving with exertion and a line of damp left her undershirt sticking to her skin, yet the tree showed no sign of ending its assault. Lacey was nearly ready to call it a good session when the battle was ended abruptly. One branch, having wrapped itself around her ankle sent her sprawling and then curled itself around the jewel-encrusted sword and slung it winging deep into the forest. Cursing under her breath, Lacey lurched to her feet, dodging the still slapping limbs and ran headlong into the direction of the flying blade's arc

She gave no thought to the beings that made their homes under the canopy of brush as she tried to gauge the sword's momentum and where it was likely to land; nor did she pay heed to how quiet the forest had become by the time she slowed to a stop. As she surveyed the area, Lacey cursed again knowing how nearly impossible a task she had before her. Taking a glance as well as she could at the upper branches of the broad English oaks, she saw no signs of gouging or nicks. Not so much as a few shredded leaves. Lacey groaned inwardly, even as she clutched the saber tighter. Somehow, she was going to find it, rather than face the wrath of Dumbledore if she had to tell him she had lost one of his possessions. It was with that grim thought that she started searching in earnest, scouring the grounds as well as peering into the gently waving branches, only to stop abruptly as she again felt a strong urge to look over her shoulder. Following that urge, she tensed, battle ready in case she needed to pivot, and again tightened her grip on the saber.

"What in blazes are you thinking, woman!" sneered Severus as she spun toward him, already on edge from the sounds echoing around her. The forest, it seemed, had come to life again, with the crunching of leaves and clicking of some sort of animal rustling around them.

"What! I've got to get that sword back. Didn't you see it go flying? I imagine Dumbledore would be not a little pissed that I lost it. From the looks of it, it's bound to be priceless."

With that, she continued her sweep, checking around ferns and in the low-lying branches of great, sturdy oaks. Severus only infuriated her further by not so much as glancing around.

He simply flicked his wrist, aiming his wand in the general direction from which they had come, and said, "_accio_ sword." A moment later he was answered by a rushing sound, followed by the sword itself singing through from the leaves and branches far above to their right. She had barely leveled her glare at him, when she saw him tense and look over her shoulder. The crunching and rustling of leaves grew louder, as did the clicking like several cicadas launching an attack. Whatever lived in this area of the forest had clearly heard the commotion and was coming to investigate. Instinctively, Lacey began backing away even as she turned to Severus with a questioning glance. He simply tossed her the sword and raised his wand as the branches to their left, front and right emitted several of the largest spiders she had ever seen. Knowing their way clear was behind them, but not wanting to turn her back on the creatures, Lacey raised both sword and saber as several jets of light whizzed by her head. A few of the advancing spiders split open with gaping gashes where the jets of light hit. As those spiders fell, those behind fell upon them, devouring their own kind, even as the multitudes of others continued past toward Lacey and Severus. Their pincers clicked menacingly, their front legs reaching for the prey that had nearly run straight into their home in the darkness of the forest. As one set upon her, Lacey sliced through its legs and part of its abdomen, thrusting up with the other arm as she stabbed with the short sword. Still backing up, she bit back a shriek as she smacked into something solid. She allowed herself the briefest glance back, relieved to find herself back-to-back with Severus who said simply, levelly, "it seems they've closed ranks."

As the ring of spiders stepped slowly closer, clicking madly, she and Severus continued the volley of slicing and slashing those that came in range. There seemed to be hundreds of the things and Lacey knew, for certain, that she would tire soon. Abruptly, Severus seemed to have changed tactics, as a thunderous boom echoed behind her, this time loosing an unsolicited scream of surprise. Another glance back showed her several spiders apparently blown to bits amidst a smoldering crater on the forest floor. Trees, blasted backwards by the impact had exploded as well into splinters and huge shards. Severus was aiming his wand at another menacing bunch with their shiny obsidian eyes locked onto his. Lacey sliced through a few more of her own before she saw they were no longer advancing but looking and clicking wildy at something swooping in from overhead. A peculiar screech rent the air as Severus sent another sonic blast over her shoulder and, hauled her backwards away from them. Lacey spun, only to find herself faced with a strange birdlike creature.

"Bow," snapped Severus, as he bent at the waist, dropping his eyes as a gesture of respect to the beast. Lacey, whose jaw had dropped in sheer awe, quickly did the same as the clicking resumed behind them. Severus hurriedly climbed on the animal, which had sunk to its knees and gestured for Lacey to the same. She wasted no time in doing so. No sooner had she swung on behind Severus and clasped his waist than they were airborne in one swift bound, slapping through tree branches and boughs, coursing straight up through to the top of the forest. Lacey cast a glance back down as they broke through the tree line; the only hint she could see of the terror below was a large swath of webbing glistening in the light of the sun as it stretched over and through the leaves.

Looking back in the direction they flew, Lacey tensed yet again as she realized they were on a direct course across the grounds back to the strangeness of the castle proper.

"No, please, God," she cried, giving his arm a squeeze as she held on to his waist with the other hand. "Let's stay up here a bit before I have to go back. I'd rather be airborne than trying to navigate that place again. At least for a few minutes. I need to get my system back to normal first."

Severus darted a glance over his shoulder and, saying nothing, led the creature into a wide arc away from the castle.


	6. Chapter 6

Cht. 6 A Refreshing Change

They glided back over the lake, keeping parallel to a snaking stream below. This, Lacey thought, taking a breath and relaxing out of the turn, was an experience. Never had she known the freeing feeling of having nothing between her and the ground far below but an animal. Even the parachutes training she had done could not compare to this. The wind teased the curls out of her rigid braid and the sun broke through the cloud bank above them, setting the water below to glisten as a shimmering strand of crystal through the tufts of dark emerald trees. It was a languid feeling, rocking with the beating of wings as they glided through the crisp Scottish air. Now fully at ease, Lacey had no compunction about laying her cheek against the scratchy wool of Severus' overcoat. She felt him tense slightly, but before she could think it was because of her, he swept the hippogriff into another arc, this time lowering gently into a clearing flanking the stream. She glanced around them as the animal touched down, noting the tinkling water was due to a gentle fall that fed into a shady pool.

Lacey dismounted after Severus, taking his hand as he helped her down wordlessly. She looked around, taking in the peace and unspoiled beauty of the place, sighing deeply. "Oh, this is paradise. It's exactly what I needed, thanks." As she said this, the birdlike creature pawed at the ground a bit before settling onto a thatch of pine needles nearby under one of the trees. Touched by the strangeness of it all as it rested its beak on its front hooves, Lacey laughed and turned to Severus. He had sat down against a large boulder near the pool and was watching her thoughtfully.

"I guess that's twice today you've saved me," she said, moving to sit on a large stone opposite him. "That's not even counting last night when you helped me escape. Keep it up and it'll get to be a habit."

"I'm in the business of rescue it seems."

Lacey smiled, now completely at ease. "Yeah, well I'm not used to being the damsel in distress or fair maiden or whatever. Though to my defense I wasn't prepared to step out of the shower and be surprised by a house elf literally popping in. How'd you get there so fast? I didn't see you anywhere when I woke up."

"I was in my office, mapping out coordinates for a plan of attack as it were when I decided to check on you. When I entered the sitting room again, I saw you were not there, but round about that time you screamed and in I came."

Lacey blushed at the mere memory of what happened next. "Well it's good to know you can move so fast and that your reflexes are quick too."

"Good for who? You or the house elf?" he countered.

She started and stared for a moment before throwing her head back and laughing so hard she snorted. "Both," she said, wiping away tears. "God, who knew you were a comedian? I guess I should find him and apologize for nearly squashing him with my boot... I just wasn't expecting something like that first thing in the morning."

"To his defense, I think Pokey was not expecting anyone to be in my showers at that time of day. He is used to my routine and I typically shower in the evenings."

"Well, I didn't want to look like Walk of Shame girl and you weren't around to ask so I just helped myself."

"How do you mean?"

"What the Walk of Shame? I guess it's an American slang thing... you know, for when you've spent the night with somebody and come back home looking like you had a night of it, wearing the same clothes you had on the night before... It's actually a saying we picked up in college, for girls who meet some guy at a frat party and hook up, then have to walk back to the dorm the next morning. But it's the same thing in the military. Somebody would have said something, so I decided to freshen up a bit before I headed upstairs. I'm just not ready for them to start harassing me like that. They just gave me so much grief a few months ago when I actually went out with a guy that I decided it wasn't worth the hassle. I've been divorced for almost a year; it was a rebound kind of thing. I mean, that's probably a TMI kind of thing, but that's why I did what I did."

"TMI?"

"Oh, too much information. Sorry."

They lapsed into silence for a moment as Severus regarded her. Feeling awkward, as if she had invited too close a confidence or perhaps insulted him by saying that she didn't want her colleagues to think they had slept together, Lacey began fidgeting with a tall piece of grass growing beside the boulder.

"I'm sorry," he said at last.

"For what?" she said, wondering what he thought he might have done.

"For your divorce."

"Oh. Well. I think he just... didn't realize what 'for better or worse' meant. We started having problems after I got back from Desert Storm--that was in '93--and I couldn't even deal with myself. There's no way I could really expect him to, so it didn't really come as a surprise. Barely a year later he told me he couldn't do it anymore and had spoken with a lawyer. I think I started laughing."

"Why?"

"I don't know, I was just really bitter. I figured this was the one person who was supposed to stand beside me and help me through it, and he was walking out. My parents were both gone by then." She took a deep breath. "Luckily though, I got transferred to Menwith Air Force Base and found Dodds and Brynne. They really helped me through it."

"So what about you?" she asked, casting about for a change of topics. "Any great love of your life?"

"There was someone once," he said slowly, haltingly. "She died."

"Sorry. God," she smiled ruefully, "I don't know how not to be awkward with you. I keep saying and doing exactly the wrong things. I'm not socially retarded I swear."

"I hadn't thought so, honestly. It's no bother."

At that moment, Lacey's stomach rumbled loudly. She clutched her belly and snickered. "And on that note, I guess we should be heading back." As they both rose, the creature came trotting over and apparently had been fishing, as he swallowed a large trout in one big chomp, his tail swishing gaily. "What exactly is this?"

"A hippogriff," replied Severus as he turned to offer her a leg up, only to have her almost bump into him. Scarcely a breath away from each other, she tipped her gaze up to his and felt her pulse kick into a rapid staccato. His eyes were the color of mink and heavy with sadness. She was tempted to reach up and brush away the hair that hung over the side of his face, but even as she moved her hand, he cupped his hands and offered her a leg up. Once she was seated, Lacey let out a breath she had not realized she was holding as he swung up behind her. He leaned forward over her, hanging on to the downy feathers of the hippogriff's neck as they bounded up and set off for the castle.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I am now truly glad that I've been taught to save religiously and often. Bastard computer gave me the blue screen of death and I had to restart before posting this fun little update... *mumbles angrily*  
And Trickie, Menwith was so perfect I had to use it. Not only is it the northernmost base we have over there before you get into Scotland, but it also houses an intelligence detachment. Kismet!_

Uncharted Territories

They swerved in for a smooth landing right in front of the castle and Lacey dismounted cradling the sword and saber, only to see a gaping Brynne standing speechless, shielding her eyes with the flat of her hand.

"And where have you two been, then?" she asked, marching up to her counterpart and smacking her on the arm. "You've been gone all last night and this morning too."

Severus raised an eyebrow before striding straight into the castle without so much as a word.

"Screwing each other senseless," Lacey said tartly, giving Brynne a slap of her own.

"Bollocks. If you had, you'd both look a lot more relaxed."

"Well, I had gone first thing to get in some swordplay with that Walloping Willow or whatever it is and wound up having it fling Dumbledore's sword five miles off into the forest, where I got accosted by the biggest effing spiders you've ever seen. To top that off, Severus showed up in time to blast them away with some kind of spell that left a crater the size of an RV--no kidding--and in the midst of which landed a half bird-half horse that winged us out of there to some waterfall fed pool that it proceeded to go fishing in... and now I'm starving."

"You don't say."

"Yeah. So, what's up?"

"Well, Dodds has been looking for you for a while. We found out at breakfast that the members of Dumbledore's order are due here tomorrow and he thinks it's high time we started training against all the magicians."

"Wizards."

"Sure. And anyway, they also thought it might be a good idea to get in a little scouting mission so that we will have some idea how to map out this attack. Dodds seemed to think you might be up for it, considering you and Tall, Dark, and Brooding appear to get on so well..."

"Absolutely not talking about it," Lacey replied to the unasked question. "And don't even think about getting the guys started on it."

"Sure, sure. Mum's the word. Oh! and that reminds me as well. Would you believe there's yet another spy from the opposing faction who's joining our little soiree?"

"Seriously? Who?"

"Some poor bloke whose wife and kid took off and left him in prison. She's divorced him, claiming disgrace to the family or some such tripe, but he still wants them protected by Dumbledore--Dumbledore mind you, not the Ministry--in exchange for whatever information he has, in addition to him helping out in this little venture of ours. So they've arranged for a quiet little release from the jail and he arrives tomorrow with the Phoenix outfit."

"Interesting. You've really had your ear to the ground."

"Not in intelligence for nothing, love."

"Well, I'll hit up Dodds and see what more he's got to say about this scouting mission. After lunch though, because I could eat a truck tire right now and be happy."

"Calm yourself, dearest, there's a veritable buffet in there again. Those elves really outdo themselves... I wonder what they're like. I'm dying to meet one."

"They're pretty docile as it happens," said Lacey, fighting the urge to squirm.

***

Sure enough, after Lacey had her fill, she and Severus headed back out of Hogwarts and down the steep hill to the gates. They ventured carefully through the forest, trying to steer clear of the outside edges of town. Lacey tried to take note of how far the forest ran from the gates of the school down to the village and in turn from the village to the depot. The depot itself was not so much of a thing. It consisted of one long narrow room that opened out onto a platform. And the train was a simple affair as well. No more than five cars long, it opened straight onto the platform where the kids were either loaded onto waiting carriages or ushered down to the lake to coast up to the castle in boats. Trying to picture students filing off of the train, Lacey had a queasy feeling roil in her gut at the idea of dozens of trained killers dropping them like flies as soon as the doors opened. It gave her some small satisfaction to know that rather than one near giant waiting for the arrival, these Death Eaters would find Hagrid, plus dozens of trained officials, soldiers and regular wizards lying in wait. Consoling herself with this fact, she followed Severus across the platform and prepared to follow the students' usual path up to the castle. Just as she stepped off onto the trail, Lacey heard something that made the blood freeze in her veins. Two people, both men by the sound of it, were walking up the other side from where they had just come.

"Do you hear that?" she mouthed, pointing in the direction of the voices as they both slid quietly around to the side of the building. "Who is it?"

"Death Eaters," he whispered tensely as they heard someone approaching from the opposite side of the platform. "Yaxley and Macnair, I believe. Don't move."

As he said this, he tapped her smartly over the head with his wand, eliciting the strangest trickling sensation she had ever felt running down her body. She watched him do the same to himself, and barely stifled a gasp when she saw him take on the appearance of the trees and bushes behind him. Examining her own hand, Lacey realized that they both had best camouflage she had ever seen. They were practically chameleons, blending into their surroundings, and should be able to surprise the men easily.

Soundlessly, Lacey cross-stepped up behind the largest one as he turned to face his partner. Quickly and deftly she jabbed her taser into his side with a loud zap, effectively dropping him to the ground unconscious as Severus Stunned the other man from behind. He stepped over the prone bodies saying, "not bad work, not bad at all. Now come here so I can remove the charm."

With that he tapped her head again with his wand and she held up her hand to see that she no longer resembled the Predator. "Now _that_ was amazing." While she was still marveling over the things she had just witnessed, Severus braced an arm around her waist, and without warning she found her body pressing in on itself before it popped back out again. Looking around quickly as her system righted itself, Lacey was speechless to find herself no longer in the forest, but right at the gates of Hogwarts again.

"What the..." she began.

"A simple apparition," Severus said quickly before Lacey unleashed the stream of questions he knew she must have. "I have to go back before they awaken. Get yourself through the gates so you have the castle ground's protections about you and whatever you do, don't come out. I'll meet back up with you just inside and you can assault my person with whatever volley of concerns you have about what just happened. If, for some reason, I do not return within about ten minutes time, get up to the castle and get Dumbledore. Understood?"

"Yeah, sure, Colonel," she said, slightly perturbed that he considered her enough of a liability that he had to bring her back instead of having her stay as back-up. As she dutifully walked back through the gates, she curved her arm around behind her back and raised her middle finger. It was petty, but it made her feel loads better. Barely a split second after, she heard another pop and turned to see that he was no longer standing outside the gates.

By the time he arrived minutes later, she was pacing back and forth just inside them silently fuming. He approached slowly, almost warily as he regarded the agitated woman before him. Without anymore warning, she turned on her heel to face him and unleashed her wrath.

"Are you _insane_?! How dare you just-- I'm in the flipping _military_, do you not think that the two of us against those two assholes might be better than _one_?" she snapped, giving him a shove. "How do you justify that? Did it ever occur to you that it was the perfect moment for me to see what it's like to fight one of them? How am I going to go into this battle untried? We had the element of surprise for crying out loud. Do I _look_ that inept to you?"

Severus fingered his wand pensively before grasping her upper arms firmly, giving her a shake. "I simply did not want to run the risk of you being seen and having that memory survive. Really, any memory of either of us would be the death knell to this whole operation. Instead, what I did was erase their memories of being ambushed only to replace them with a false memory of one of them surprising the other, and stunning each other by accident. I Disapparated directly after and came straight back here."

"You couldn't have had me hide somewhere and then Apparate us both out or something? What if one of them had come out of it too soon? What if there was another one somewhere? You could have been killed."

"That, your highness, is a risk I take every time I walk out those gates."

"Well, it's an unnecessary risk I'd rather you didn't take." Realizing the full import of what she had just uttered, Lacey flushed scarlet and started to step away.

Severus, his hands still on her arms, pulled her back and in effect, knocked her off balance so that she fell into him. Bracing her arms around him for support, she looked up astonished to see his face, always unreadable, tipping closer to hers. Sliding his hands down to her waist, their lips meeting, brushing tentatively, Severus pulled her closer. Her lips parted under his, her fingers tracing up his back as their mouths melded, fusing while they plunged deeper together into each other. It was a kiss that threatened to push them from tentative reticence straight into primal need. Yet just when she felt precariously close to that point, Severus eased back, still close enough that his breath rasped as he pressed his face into her hair. Lacey, her pulse kicking, gave him a squeeze before stepping back out of the embrace.

"Well. Now that we cleared that up..." she said, with a shaky laugh.

Severus' mouth twitched into what she recognized as the closest thing he did to a smile--the same expression he had worn that morning in the shower room.

"Can we agree that next time we take it on as a team and just be assured that we'll definitely have each other's backs?"

"Certainly," he replied, clearing his throat and adjusting his frock coat. "Now I suppose we should get ourselves up to the castle before the cavalry arrives looking for us."

"We may not have a cavalry, but they probably wouldn't be above taking the chopper up." And as they walked, he placed a hand on her waist, without so much as a word, pulling her closer. Only when they approached the great oak doors did he release his hold.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Once again I owe apologies for the lack of updates. I am in the midst of a never ending job search and have been battling both a stomach and computer virus. My poor lil PC will have to be replaced soon, even though I have had to restore every. damn. thing. already... At any rate, thanks to Nina Simone and Buddy Guy, I am back on track with this one and it won't be long now until it's finished. Then, on to the rest._

Cht. 8, Gone with the Wind

"Good lord, Severus," Lacey said, trying to bite back an exasperated smile. "Remind me never to make you mad."

She hazarded a glance at the towering form of the wizard who had stepped out of the building behind her glaring so fiercely that several young soldiers quickened their steps as they passed. His entire visage a glowering mask of tension, she could see his jaw grinding as he stood with her in the blowing wind. The inimitable wizard looked distinctly out of place now that he found himself on her turf as opposed to his own. Truly, the sight of him standing in the midst of nondescript tan buildings and canvas topped military vehicles very nearly had her doubling over in laughter. This was only compounded by the fact that he was clearly insulted by what he considered her major's extreme lack of trust.

Truly, when Dodds had mentioned that Major Mallory wanted to question Severus as well as Malfoy, the other operative, Lacey was not the least bit surprised. In fact, it was quite common to require a lie detector and some form of interrogation to those who turned double agent or informant, simply to ensure that they could be trusted. Severus, it seemed, was taking this as a personal slight when it was not at all meant to be. To Lacey's mind, it was standard practice. Malfoy at least seemed to be taking it in stride and would be arriving the next day for his battery of tests.

"Why exactly did you find it necessary to zap their polygraph machine?"

"I found their questions both impertinent and inane. I could scarcely be blamed."

"Do you have any idea how much that thing cost?"

"I couldn't be arsed to care, frankly."

"You will when one of your owls shows up with a bill from the Department of Defense. Those things don't come cheap. Besides, as I mentioned, it's just typical procedure. Nothing personal, just business. These guys don't know you from Adam's house cat and they just care about getting the paperwork done, stamped, copied to the right department and filed in the right drawer. At the end of the day, as long as none of us die—causing them to do more paperwork—they don't care what you've done, who you are, or if you get canonized for saving us all from the apocalypse. Unless of course they have to fill out paperwork on that too. It's hardly a tribunal."

He said nothing, merely staring off angrily at the long low building that served as their chow hall.

"Tell you what. You're done for the day, you passed the test and barely blew a needle out of place during the questioning, so why don't we get out of here and find somewhere for you to calm down and relax a bit before Malfoy has to come in tomorrow. Sound like a plan?"

"Where?"

"Where should we go? Ah..." Lacey trailed off. Her first thought was back to her own quarters in the barracks, but that would lead to awkward questions later, since she would have to sign him in with whoever was pulling CQ. Besides which, the military surroundings were hardly conducive to his relaxation. Many civilians were a bit unnerved by finding themselves on a post, but Severus' case seemed more so given that he clearly felt as though he were viewed as the enemy here.

Should they visit Menwith for a bit? The tiny town may not have much, but at least it was normal and might put him more at ease. Before she could suggest it, however, he straightened and turned, holding out a hand.

"I know where I should like to go, if you wish to come with me," he said so lowly she had to lean forward to hear him. She nodded mutely as she tentatively clasped his fingers, only to be pulled into the now familiar vacuum sensation of apparition.

"Severus, could you warn somebody before you do that?"

She staggered a couple of steps away and landed with a bump on a tree stump near the edge of a small wooded clearing, at the back of which sat a simple white framed cottage and beyond, what appeared to be a small lake or pond. Rioting around the house were virulent splashes of colored flowers that would have made her mother's gardening heart flutter. Delicate petaled narcissus competed for space with the heady scented lavender and verbena. A blushing rose climbed a trellis by the door, and everywhere around the base was a carpet of creeping phlox.

"Where in the world are we? It looks like a fairy cottage," Lacey said a little breathlessly.

"This belonged to my grandparents. They retired here when they decided they had had enough of people in general, and lived out the rest of their days. When they died, shortly after my mother, it came to me as the only living heir."

This was delivered rather dryly, almost blandly. Lacey wondered at the apparent lack of emotion.

"Did you not get along? Ever come here as a child, or--"

"I came, once or twice with my mother. It was she who did not get on well with them. I was simply a by-product of a very grave mistake she made... by marrying my father. He was a Muggle."

"Ah. And I can assume since you mentioned growing up with a foot in each world that they were wizards?"

"Yes."

"I see. So, likely as not were they here..."

"Likely as not, they would hex you as soon as they saw you standing in the yard."

"Hell of a welcome."

"As they are no longer on this earth, and the house belongs to me it is of no consequence."

"Lucky me."

"Where would you have preferred to have gone?"

"I dunno, I had thought of going to Menwith for a bit, maybe finding somewhere—God knows where—that has Indian take-out. Your grandparents' feelings notwithstanding though, this place is several times better. Is it stocked?"

"No, actually. I had not considered the fact, but it is nearly tea time. If you would like, you may stay and acquaint yourself with the grounds and cottage. I will go for some tandoori if you like, and something for breakfast, perhaps?"

He shifted a bit, almost doubtfully, as if asking for her approval.

"Sure," she said, her heart hitching into her throat as she realized the implication. "That sounds nice."

And for the first time the corners of his mouth quirked into a tentative smile, as it reached all the way to his dark, somber eyes and lit them.

"Very well, I shall return soon." With that, he popped out of sight leaving Lacey rubbing a hand over her chest, suddenly nervous.

Looking around, she decided it best to explore the grounds since he did not bother to leave a key for the door. She doubted very much that it would be unlocked. She circled around the side of the house, only to find a wide gravel path lined with ferns that seemed to lead through the forest down to the pond. Following the trail down a gentle slope, she came out at the water's edge to another breathtaking view. She was reminded sharply of the clearing he had taken her to near Hogwarts. This one, though much larger, also had the smallest dip of a waterfall to the east end. The difference here, aside from the vast size, was the wildlife. Two swans glided smoothly over the water's surface, barely causing a ripple, while off at the farthest edge nestled a family of geese honking lowly as the water lapped at the fringe of reeds and grasses around them. Lacey stepped up to a white wooden bench in front of her, gazing at the beauty and simplicity of the scene.

The woods themselves seemed alive with birdsong, and Lacey watched as sparrows winged their way through branches and over the still water. Somewhere off in the distance she heard a woodpecker drilling away at one of the ancient oaks. She sat, as still and quiet as possible, absorbing the tranquility around her, letting the tinkle of water over the edge of the rocks lull her until her eyes were drooping. Moments later she was rewarded with the sight of a doe and fawn, whose spots were already fading, drifted down to the water's edge for a drink. The mother lifted her graceful head once to gaze back at Lacey, swishing her tail in warning at her son, before ambling off into the canopy of the forest again with him following closely behind.

Likewise, Lacey stayed only a minute longer before climbing the rise once again to the back of the cottage where a covered porch ran the length of the house. She stepped up to the door and peered inside, nearly jolting out of her skin when she saw the face of an elf quite near the door. It took her a moment to realize that the little creature was staring blankly into space, and upon closer inspection, she realized that it was stuffed.

"God, that's grotesque," she said, trying to make out what the plaque read under its tiny pedestal. Absently, she tried the doorknob, only to be amazed at the fact that it turned in her hand. She spared a somewhat guilty glance around, feeling vaguely like a trespasser even though Severus had told her plainly she could explore.

She stepped through the doorway, into what now appeared to be the size of a bungalow rather than a mere cottage. It was much bigger, really, on the inside. She took a moment to check the brass plate under the elf, reading quietly aloud, "_Beloved Dotsy. For 85 years of faithful and impeccable service. Love, Master and Mistress Elias Doge Prince_. You are kidding me."

Peering around at the draped furniture, Lacey sneezed as she automatically removed her cap and stuffed it in the pocket of her BDU pants. She took her time, wandering through the dim house, raising windows as she went to clear some of the stale musty air out. Pulling sheets and cloths off the beds and tables, she was shocked to see that most of the furniture was ornately carved walnut and oak. In one of the rooms, obviously the master bedroom, a canopy was supported by four posts with the most intricate scroll work she had ever seen. The headboard itself was covered in images of nymphs and satyrs in a pastoral setting; stripping the heavy cloth off the top of the mattress she gasped aloud at the thick royal blue duvet embroidered with finely woven threads of gold. She wound her way back down the hall through the sitting room and into the other side of the house where she discovered the kitchen, before she realized how difficult it was getting to see. Returning to the sitting room, she found a candelabra and began digging for a book of matches in her pants leg pocket just as an ominous clap of thunder rolled through the air.

She looked through the windows out past the porch to see that as she had been exploring the wind had kicked up. The sturdy oak branches were now swaying as the approaching storm swept in. Not wanting her candles to get blown out, Lacey slid the windows shut again, leaving the blinds open so she could watch the onslaught that she now sensed would be a wicked and wild shower. Watching a will o' the wisp kick up, blowing the leaves around, she hoped fervently that Severus made it back soon before he found himself drenched. Slowly, she made her way around the room, lighting wall sconces and hurricane lamps as she went. Then, taking her candelabra on a return trip through the rooms, she closed the windows again, before finally sitting down on a settee in an ominous silence, only punctuated by periodic claps of thunder. As if in echo, her stomach emitted a rolling grumble of its own and she wondered briefly what was keeping her enigmatic wizard.

_Is he really mine_, she thought, as she stopped mid-stride on her way back into the kitchen. _Can I say that at this point? _They had only shared a kiss thus far, but he had left her with the sense that tonight there would be more. Did this mean they were an item? He didn't seem the type to have a casual affair, and they still had to be able to work together until this battle, or whatever it was, was over. She mulled over the implications of what they had agreed on for the evening. _Does he want to sleep with me?_, she wondered as she opened closets and cupboards looking for food, or _did he just want to get away for a while and didn't want to be rude? Maybe he just wants the company as opposed to being completely alone... _

"Ugh!" she groaned aloud as her insecurities crept in and she began second-guessing herself. "What if that gut instinct of mine is just talking shit?"

Wrenching open another door, she found herself faced with a wall of well-stocked wine racks and was sorely tempted to pop open a bottle and drink it down. Knowing that it would solve nothing, she pulled one off the racks at random and wiped the dust off with her sleeve.

"_Cote de Rhône Villages__, 1978,_" she read. "Whoa."

So absorbed was she in the amazement of her discovery that she did not hear the telltale pop of apparition. Only when she recognized the strains of music echoing from the sitting room did she straighten and turn toward the kitchen door. A sultry, bluesy melody was lilting through the house along with the distinctive smell of curry and spice. Taste buds aroused and interest piqued, Lacey wove her way back through to find Severus with his back to her, watching the first sprinkles of rain falling from the porch's eaves.

_Love me, love me_

_say you do._

_Let me fly away with you._

_For my love is like the wind;_

_wild is the wind..._

With Nina Simone's voice warbling over the electric current of air, punctuated by loud claps of thunder, Lacey watched barely breathing as Severus turned slowly at the sound of her approach, glancing down a the bottle still clutched in her hand.

"That was quite a good year for a Rhone wine," he said as he approached, taking her elbow and guiding her into the dining room. She was on the verge of asking what had taken so long when she saw the bags on the end of the table. Take-out boxes had already been placed at the opposite end, both of which were already opened and still steaming. Severus wordlessly took the bottle as he pulled out her chair for her, before stepping over to an antique sideboard and banishing the dust from a couple of glasses lined up on it.

"This should be a nice complement for the chicken, as it happens. Excellent choice."

"Actually, I just found that while I was foraging for food. I had just about given up on you, or my stomach had leastways. Where did you go?"

Severus, who had poured and placed the glasses on the table, seated himself before he replied.

"Carlisle."

"Carlisle?! Why in the world did you go so far?"

"It's quite close as it happens."

"Why? W-um... where are we exactly?"

"Near Penrith."

"We're in the Lake District?"

"Just on the fringes, really."

"That's almost a good two hours away from the base," she said, spooning up a bite of jasmine rice.

"By car, perhaps, but surely not apparating," he replied, taking a casual sip of the wine.

"Oh, of course not. That's only a pop away from anywhere in the world. Why didn't we just _pop_ over to France?"

"Would you like to go?" he said, eyes twinkling with apparent mischief.

"Ah..." she trailed off, unable to tell if he was serious or not.

Severus very nearly chuckled at her apparent discomfiture. She smiled as though she wanted only to say yes, yet her raised eyebrows belied the fact that she thought surely he was in jest.

"I think this is far enough away,"she said at length.

"Just as well. We do have a... border patrol of sorts, and my movements are still somewhat limited even though my name is technically cleared."

Lacey barely raised a brow at this, "even here I'm hoping no one needs me for anything any time soon. As it is, I'll probably have to account for my whereabouts. I could very well be considered AWOL. Technically. My movements are limited too, since I'm on a mission."

"Did you major not give you an express order to keep me under a close eye?"

"Yes, how did you--"

"And that whereever I go, you go. Do I have that correct?"

"Yes, he did."

"Well," he said rising and banishing the empty boxes. "I'm off to bed. Are you coming?"

And with a corner of his mouth twitching up into that crooked smile, he held out a hand. Unable to do anything but gasp out a shocked laugh, Lacey drained her glass and slid her palm into his as he led her down the hall.

* * *

_Yes, and next there be lemons..._

_CQ btw = command of quarters; 24-hr security detail for barracks_


	9. Chapter 9

Cht. 9, Feeling Good

The storm broke loudly overhead as Severus led her down the darkened hallway. He raised his wand in front of him momentarily and as he did so, sconces lining the walls lit themselves as the couple approached. He turned at the end of the hallway into the master bedroom she had discovered earlier. With another wave of his wand, the bed coverings turned themselves down with a ripple as Severus muttered, "_munda recenter_" before turning and lighting the hurricane lamp on a nearby vanity with another careless flick. A soft glow from the wick enveloped the room, punctuated by periodic flashes of light from the opened curtains that cast their silouettes onto the wall as Severus faced her, his hand still clasping her fingers.

"I've never brought someone here," he whispered, raising her fingers to his lips, "but I quite prefer it to my own home."

"It's gorgeous," she replied as he drew her closer, sliding a hand around her neck to cup the back of her head. He stood merely a breath away, tipping his forehead down to hers. In that moment, and all too soon, Lacey felt her heart tip in her chest and could not summon the concern for giving over this quickly and easily.

_I love my love and this he knows,_

_I love the ground whereon he goes._

_He's the prettiest face and the neatest hands._

_I love the ground whereon he stands._

That mournful voice echoing in from the sitting room rang true to her thoughts as she brought her lips to his, brushing them tentatively against him, tasting the curry and lime. He growled low in his belly as the hand at the nape of her neck tensed while the other hand snaked under her jacket to wrap around her waist. Molding her body against his, Lacey slid her own fingers up over the coarse wool of his coat twining them through his somewhat oily hair as she parted her lips. His tongue dabbed lightly at hers, as if savoring her taste, and caused her to whimper when the sensation shot straight to her loins.

"Oh god it has been too long," she began as he backed them to the edge of the bed. Sitting down on its edge, he pulled her to stand between his legs.

"We have all night to make up for lost time," he replied, sliding his hands up to the buttons on her jacket and fumbling a bit as he began to unfasten them. "It seems I'm out of practice as well."

She started to lift her hands to help him by doing it herself, only to have him brush them away. "No, let me. I haven't seen you since that morning in my bath. It's a bit like unwrapping a present; this thing hides your curves so well."

"Alright, as long as I get to peel off your layers too."

The last button undone, he slid the stiff jacket down her arms to drop at her feet even as he slid his hands back up her sides and down again. "Much better already," he said, his gaze focused on the slight rise under the olive colored undershirt. Severus was unsure whether she shivered because of his attentions or the chill in the room, but her shirt left nothing to the imagination. Her nipples were taut under the scrap of fabric and Severus, being only a man, felt his mouth go dry at the image before him. He reached out, intent on divesting the woman whose tawny eyes glazed over with desire, and deftly unfastened her pants, sliding them down until they pooled around her calves. One muttered incantation later and the lace-up boots and woolen socks were gone. She stepped slowly out of the camo pants and closer between his knees. Again Severus slid his hands up her sides, over the simple white cotton knickers, catching the t-shirt in his grasp and he slid it up over her head to reveal a matching cotton bra, and dropped it on top of her pants. He merely smiled easily at the woman's practical nature. No coquetish laces or frills for her, simplicity ruled her life as surely as it did his. He spied a single mole over the pale rise of her right breast and longed to kiss it. Yet the telltale throb in his nether regions told him that if he pushed too far too soon it would be over before it had truly begun. He was not lying when he said it had been quite some time. Rarely did his drive coincide with his spare time, what little he had. What sexual frustration there was he channelled diligently into teaching, spying or developing potions and spells. Truly, he mused as he swallowed and tried to suck air into his lungs, if he were faced with a form and mind such as Lacey's he might do much less stalking and snarking and relax. At least a bit.

Never one to let an opportunity pass her by, Lacey took advantage of Severus' obvious distraction to busy herself with the numerous buttons on his scratchy frock coat. And never one to deny a woman her due, Severus lay back leisurely and allowed himself to be undressed for the first time in his adult life. Truly it was a pleasant experience, for as soon as she swept his jacket away and began unbuttoning his starched white shirt, she trailed kisses down his chest causing his breath to catch. Thanks to her thorough ministrations, he now had a stiffy to rival a flag pole straining against the y-fronts she uncovered. He remedied this by dragging her hips onto his lap and leaning up to meld his torso and mouth to hers in a searing kiss. Tauntingly, she rocked against him causing him to groan against her lips before he rolled her onto her back across the bed. Now in quite the teasing mood, Lacey lifted her feet to push his trousers to his ankles. Taking a moment to tug out of his boots and socks, he kicked the pants quickly to the floor and returned his attentions to the half-naked woman now sprawled against the downy pillows. She reached up slowly, removing the band from the end of her plait and drug her fingers through her curls, loosening them. One stray spiral lay over her forehead, its tip touching her cheek and tempting him to brush it away with his lips. As he did so, she grazed her teeth over his jaw line, eliciting a low groan from him. He cupped his hands over her breasts, dropping a kiss onto the tops of each of them briefly before he reached for the clasp at her back and freed them from their constraints. She drug the scrap of cotton away and smiled as she watched his Adam's apple bob, his rapt attention focused on her chest. She wasn't big by any means, but her breast were still rounded and firm, with a petal pink blush to the tips, all of which were apparently more than enough for the taciturn wizard who now dipped his head to taste first one then the other, causing her to arch into his mouth with a gasp. Instinctively she linked her legs around his waist and he lowered his body to hers and placed a light kiss on the mole he stared at earlier.

Not to be outdone, Lacey's hands swept around to acquaint themselves with his rear end, cupping and squeezing the firmness with an appreciation borne of sheer lust and raging hormones she had not felt in ages. She stroked her feet down the backs of his legs and arched her hips against his erection. Severus moaned as he captured her ear between his teeth and suckled gently, causing her to rake her hands up his back and fist in his hair. Her control quickly slipping away as he continued his assault, Lacey nipped his neck just at the curve and could feel his pulse jumping when she ran her tongue over the same spot.

"Sweet Psyche and Eros, woman, what you do to me," he said rasping for breath.

Running his lips and tongue down her belly he drank in her flesh as a man dying of thirst, his fingertips following behind and leaving a trail of gooseflesh as she writhed under him. Lacey drew her knees up as he drug away the last garment between her legs, barely giving him a moment to revel in the sight of her sprawled nude against the crisp white sheets before she tugged his briefs off and wrapped her hands around the base of him. She mused briefly at how apparently old-fashioned these wizards were as she slid down under him to reveal the shaft obscured by his foreskin and placed a wet kiss against the purpled tip.

"Oh gods, no, not there," he groaned, pulling her back up to face him. "Not yet." She barely got a laugh out before he had switched positions, placing a kiss at the crook where thigh met hip. She hissed out a breath when his fingers found her cleft and stroked ever so gently against the warm and wet flesh.

"Ah," she sighed, drawing her legs up again. Severus' potions master's hands worked wonders on her inner walls as he entered deftly, his tongue sliding against her swollen clit while his digits pulsed against her, in and up, as she began rocking her hips against him. "God! Oh god, yes..." she was drowned out as a loud clap of thunder sounded from the nearly forgotten storm outdoors. Refusing to let up on her as she strained, pulling a pillow over her face to muffle her own sounds, Severus found himself amused at the display. Her legs had spread even further and she bucked in complete abandon while her world when suddenly red when she came on a scream. When he felt the muscles slacken around his fingers, and her legs dropped back onto the mattress, Severus spared a glance up. Her reaction to his tongue and hands was nearly his own undoing and drawing himself back over her, he settled the tip of his shaft against her quim, nuzzling against her neck before he allowed himself a turn for his own release.

Her eyes were the color of melted caramel, her chest heaving as she gasped out a laugh. "Now that was a magic all its own." With that, she was rewarded with his first true grin. Ear to ear, he even showed teeth and exuded self-satisfaction as he slid his hands around her back and clasped her shoulders.

"And to think, the night is nowhere near over," he intoned, sliding his sheath into her in a single stroke. The rumbles and flashes outdoors seemed nothing compared to the groans that escaped him as he pressed himself further against her in an arch of hips. Reveling in the fullness as he stretched her core, Lacey rocked her hips in a building rhythm while pressing kisses over his chest and the thin pelt of inky curls. She flicked her tongue over the sensitive flesh of a nipple as he drew out on a hiss, and plunged in again on a bellow. He repeated this battery time and again as she matched him, raking nails down his back as the tempo quickened and her cries rang out amidst the thunder and rain pounding the roof even as they pounded flesh to flesh. He felt the ominous tightening of his sac and her walls and reveled in the feeling just before stepping over that last ledge into release. Leaning forward, he stifled her cries by plunging his tongue into her mouth with a possessive kiss swiveling his hips against hers pistoning, using the friction to thrust them both into the blinding madness of la petite mort.

----------------------------------------------

_Munda recenter_ = roughly, "freshly clean"

_And fyi, those lyrics to "Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair" is not only a song by Nina Simone, but is originally a Scottish classic. So it fit perfectly, especially given Snape's hair. Kismet again!_


	10. Chapter 10

Cht. 10, Past and Present

Severus' moment of truth came early the next morning, as he woke to hear a clock out in the sitting room chime the seventh hour and groaned quietly when he realized that he had not slept more than four hours together. He looked down at the woman nuzzling in the crook of his arm and felt a deep throb of yearning to keep her right in that very spot for as long as possible. For some minutes he watched her features relaxed in sleep, one of her legs thrown over his. She had scooted right up to his side in the night, where she had lain the whole time. Edging over so as not to wake her, he pressed a kiss to her brow and clenched his fists on the sheets as he realized that he had no choice but to watch her battle it out against some of the fiercest dark wizards in the world. He had no doubt in his mind that she could fight—even fiercely so—yet the desire to keep her closeted safely away surged through him as he thought of her facing someone like Bella or even the Dark Lord himself. It did not bear consideration. Even as the thought flitted through his mind of apparating her back to the cabin straightaway come the first of September, he knew that to do so would breach the trust they had built thus far. Already he had made the mistake of trying to protect her from harm. At the same time, he felt a tug of pride at that fact that she greatly valued her ability to combat any opposition in any given situation. His woman was a warrior, and more than his match in every way. Gods above but he loved her. Already. His mind reeled at the fact, and he was impotent with fear as to what to do about it.

For years he had mourned the loss of Lily from his life, only to grieve her again when she died. But none of the emotions that wracked him at that time came anything close to this. Lacey was his, for a start, and had given of herself more than the other woman ever had. She placed her trust in him; when he had made mistakes even though she railed at him, she had forgiven him. And with the looks she had given him the night before, he felt certain that what she gave him then was more than her body. When the time came for them to do what must be done, he only hoped they would come through it together. He could ill afford to lose another woman from his life, least of all this one, who he loved more deeply and purely than any other. Even Lily.

Carefully, he slid out of bed and as quietly as he could, picked up the clothes that had been tossed hither and yon the night before. Muttering the same cleansing charm he had used on the sheets, he carried them into a large lavish bath across the hall. He spared once small glance at himself in the mirror before turning the taps on full blast and sliding into the hot shower. He picked up the rosemary pine soap that he kept for the rare occasions that he stayed in the cottage and while he lathered himself up, he pondered how to handle this burgeoning relationship. Truly, he mused, this would be the first real relationship of his life. Any other liaison had been just that, a brief shelter in the storm of the first and now second of the dark wars. He had either had no real desire to keep any of those women in his life or they did not desire him for so long. They all tended to be extremely short lived and quite bitter at the end. No matter. As he thought again of the woman currently sleeping in his bed, he knew that they had all been merely rehearsals for the real dance. Surprised that he could wax so poetically on such a subject, he thought briefly of his grandmother's engagement and wedding rings secreted away in the vault behind her vanity table. What a thing that would be for her to wake up to, he smiled, then laughed outright at the thought of what his students would think. If only they could see their professor now... He took another look at himself, as he slapped off the taps and began toweling off. Even through the steamed mirror he could see the Chesire cat smile stretching wide. Surely now if need be he could conjure a patronus to chase off all the dementors in Azkaban's walls. Gone was the dark, drab professor of the dungeons. At this point, he believed he could scarcely summon a sneer worthy of scaring even the most squeamish first year. Some imposing force he would be now. The woman had undone his entire facade and had him completely wrapped around her little fingers. If he hadn't been so happy it would be totally demoralizing.

In fact, he reasoned, more of his mornings should begin this way. A good shag, a nice cuddle with his warm woman, and a hot shower. Now for a quick kiss and perhaps a coffee on the porch. As he stepped back into the room however, the good feelings dissipated when he realized that she was having anything but sweet dreams. She was whimpering, writhing in sweat soaked sheets.

"_Oogaf wa illa 'armiik!_" she cried out forcefully. "_Lnbitih bala batnak!_ "

Severus crept closer, not wanting to frighten her further by waking her too soon. His heart wrenched at the sight of her though. Lacey's forehead was creased in apparent anguish as she thrashed harder. "_Laa!_ _Laa!_ _Laa tirmi! Dhib bi-slahaak! Hassa!_" Unsure what foreign tongue she was speaking, Severus did know that she was fighting bitterly. He sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, just on the verge of grabbing her up and holding her close when she abruptly started crying, sobbing brokenly into the pillow.

"Barnes! No, Barnes come on guy. Get up!"

Tears streaming down her face, she curled up now fully tangled in the sheets. Completely at a loss, Severus swept her into his arms, gripping her tightly and brushed a kiss to her hair as she jolted awake. She looked blankly at Severus for a moment, blinking the tears away and he continued to hold on until she got her bearings. "He had a baby," she whispered, knowing Severus would understand somehow. "He had a brand new baby at home," she said, still gasping for breath, and then at a total loss, she burst into fresh tears.

He held her until her tears dried, only letting her up when she decided to slip into the shower. Lacey sighed deeply as the water sluiced over her, only to groan again when she spied the one lonely bar of soap on the wide marble lip of the tub. Unable to summon the urge to castigate him for not having the proper toiletries, Lacey simply resolved to bring her own next time—for she was certain there would be a next time. Nightmares notwithstanding, things were so totally comfortable between the two of them that presently she saw no end in sight. Her own husband had not bothered to hold her when her dreams woke her screaming. Instead he woke her with a simple, "babe, you alright?" before rolling over. Eventually, he started sleeping in the guest room. At first he had wanted to talk about it in the day time. Incessantly. Moreover, he asked the question every veteran of war hates to hear, "how many people did you kill?" only to get riled when she said she did not want to talk about it. He pushed therapy and she went. He pushed medication and she tried that too for a while. A couple of times she came home completely blitzed from drinking with the other airmen who had just shipped back. The second time she did it, they had a roaring fight and he walked out. Somewhere in there was the beginning of the end. By the time they sat down at the kitchen table where they no longer shared their meals, Lacey was clear eyed and wholly unsurprised.

Somehow though, she simply could not bring herself to picture Severus doing the same. For one thing, he apparently felt no compunction to discuss anything. He seemed to know exactly what she needed and exactly what she did not. It only confirmed her suspicions that he knew all too well what she went through already. In the end, there was nothing to say. In fact, with him she felt the closest to acceptance that she ever had. She felt less like some monster who had been to hell and back, less like something tainted. Rich had made her feel that way. Severus simply did not. With him she could still look at the good things in life and appreciate them, not because she ignored or forgot what she had seen and done, but because she remembered and could appreciate those things all the more. He made it possible because he was on her level, and he knew firsthand. By the time she finished her shower, she was humming "Wild is the Wind" and smiling at the fact that true to his nature, he had not bothered to bring or buy a toothbrush. _Typical man_, she thought.

Taking the opportunity to make breakfast while Lacey washed up, Severus busied himself making eggs and toast, plus coffee, which about limited his breakfast making abilities. Still, fully satisfied that the eggs were fluffy and not brown, the toast was brown and not black, and the coffee smelled reasonably good, Severus smiled to himself as he took out dusty plates and cups from the cupboards, dispensing with the dust merely by flicking his wand while his mind wandered to the very naked woman currently just down the hall in his bath. He was not so involved with his task however, that he missed the light tread of bare feet behind him. He was about to turn when he felt the subject of his errant thoughts wrap her arms around him and press her face into his back. Apparently said woman was no longer just down the hall, he mused.

"Mmm, I take it the shower did you good."

"So did my wake-up, thanks for that."

"Quite welcome, darling. Though I do figure we have less than an hour before we have to meet Leiutenant Brynn and Lucius back at your base."

"Mmm... I wonder how they're doing this morning. Everyone was supposed to have started training together yesterday while we were gone."

"I suppose we'll find out, as soon as you have parleyed with your subordinate."

"Yes, well they're going to have a really short go of it if Major Mallory wasn't able to secure another polygraph from a police department somewhere close."

"Serves him right."

"It does not!" she laughed, playfully slapping at his arm as he spooned up eggs for both of them while she moved to pour two cups of coffee. "Severus, he was just doing his job. Besides, it doesn't matter if he trusts you or not. I do."

At that, Severus set both the plates on the table and turned pulling Lacey down into his lap at the breakfast table. "I want you to know that means more to me than anything in this world or the next," he said, suddenly somber. "And when all this is over... I want to know that, you _will_ still be there with me."

"God willing, Severus, I will be," she replied taking his face in her hands.

"And... pet?"

"Yeah?"

"What in blazes is your first name anyway?"

She laughed and kissed his pointy nose. "Donna. Took you a while to ask that one."

They apparated back to Menwith sometime later, arriving on a helipad that had been specifically reserved for their use. It was quite a ways away from the base proper, which afforded them some degree of privacy. This morning, however, they appeared only to find one very stiffly standing Malfoy and an extremely huffy Brynn stalking away toward the waiting HUM-V. Knowing full well that there was no getting information out of Malfoy, Lacey instead started after the furious woman.

"Brynn?" Brynn turned and exhaled an obvious sigh of relief before snapping a quick salute as Lacey approached and answered it with her own. "What's up, Kellye? Blondie got you smarting this early in the morning? What did he do," she asked, barely holding back a smile. Brynn had thought the wizard was quite the tasty dish when he first arrived at the castle.

"He's a right foul bloody git," she sniped.

"You care to clarify that?"

"Ugh, he just thinks we all ought just drop down and kiss his boots, that's all. He flat refuses to climb in the Hummer, like I'm about to piggybag his arse up to command or something, and to top it off he 'doesn't typically bother to spend so much time in the presence of quite so many Muggles as it happens'--or so he says. Piker."

"Whew! Well you know he played on the other team. Likely he's just saving his butt and his family's. Dumbledore told us that straight away, so I don't know why it's coming as a surprise now."

"I was paying attention, believe me. I just never met someone so bloody arrogant. I swear it's a temptation to put that cane straight up his arse sideways. For that matter he can head straight back to prison and be buggered by the biggest man beast in the place."

"Yes, well passing over Malfoy's ass and all that happens to it--"

"Indeed," said Severus wryly and Lacey turned to see the two men striding up. Malfoy looked extremely distempered at the turn of the conversation. "Shall we get to your Major Mallory, ladies?"

"Sure," said an utterly unrepentent Brynn, swinging into the driver's seat of the vehicle and starting it up. Lacey tipped an abashed smile at the two wizards and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Severus are you quite sure this is safe for passage?" Malfoy asked, making a display of pulling out a handkerchief to wipe down the seat. Brynn gunned the engine as Severus swung into the back seat and waved Malfoy into the Hummer.

"Why the concern, Lucius? Have you lost your bits in Azkaban or did Narcissa get them in the divorce?" Severus smiled winningly.

"Et tu, Severus?" snapped Malfoy, his lip curling in disgust as he caught Brynn's triumphant gleam in the rearview mirror. She punched the gas and started singing a bawdy cadence merrily as they made their way down a gravel road to the proper building. When they arrived, Lucius climbed as gracefully as possible out of the tiny door while Brynn hopped out and made a show of bowing him through the doorway as she held it. Lacey and Severus eyed each other briefly when the two made their amusing entrance.

"Ten pounds says they're shagging each other senseless by the time this is over," said Severus lowly.

"I would go you another ten that she lands him on his 'arse', but I don't take sucker bets."

"Pity." And with that, they swept in together. "Neither do I."

_-----------------------------------------------------------  
The language, btw is of course Arabic. Granted, it's not Arabic script because... ha. I have no idea how to write it or html those characters into existence. So it's phonetic._

_  
Oogaf wa illa 'armiik!_ = Stop or I'll shoot!  
_Inbitih bala batnak!_ = Lie down on your stomach  
_laa tirmi! _= Don't shoot/no shooting  
_laa!_ = No!  
_Dhib bi-slahaak!_ = Drop your weapons!  
_Hassa!_ = Now!


	11. Chapter 11

_Well ladies and gents, we have on the menu today lemon bars with plenty of powdered sugar and a garnish of…well…a little extra lemon. I'm not crazy about meringue, so bon appetit!_

Cht. 11, Let Me Love You Baby

In the days since Lacey and Severus had practically professed their love to each other, things had continued to go swimmingly. To Lacey's mind, she was in a perfect place. She had a man she loved and a challenge to drive her. She was happy to have something to do with her hands, and the combat practice that she had been thrown into since returning to the castle was gritty, sweaty and oh so fulfilling. The best part of all thus far had been the fact that she and Brynn both had won Malfoy's grudging respect, not only as fighters but Muggles to boot. To be honest, it was hard-won, for he was a most worthy foe and like Severus, would not hesitate in stooping to use underhanded tactics. For that alone, she liked him. He and Severus both pulled no stops and came at them full force in hand-to-hand, or hand-to-wand rather. Still, Malfoy had wound up smarting from one of Lacey's taser jabs a couple of days prior after she had good-naturedly taken him out at the knee to avoid one of his stinging hexes. She had the device set to its lowest voltage, but it still didn't exactly tickle, Lacey thought as she enjoyed the latest in a series of much more appealing showers since her return from the cottage. Finally, she was back to her own toiletries and clean clothes.

Thinking of the day they returned and how amusing it had been, she mused over Malfoy and Brynn as she slathered body wash over her aching muscles. The two were at each other constantly to the point that their sexual tension was glaring in the face of everyone in a half mile radius. Today had truly capped it all though. It had started when they were playing a high-powered round of Hound Dog in which Dodds, who was refereeing, would call out someone's name and everyone around that person would attack. It was a fairly effective simulation of what it was like to truly be in a dirty fight. Unlike the movies, the opponent rarely took turns, but instead all pounced at once. In this case, he called on Brynn who spun out taking out Thorpe with a leg sweep, knocked Severus into Lacey, and punched Hancock in the gut before rounding on Malfoy who had appeared suddenly behind her. He aimed a confusing hex of some sort at her face, only to have her dodge it by grabbing his wrist, thrusting her hip into his, and flipping him straight over onto his back, stopping her fist a scant inch from his nose. It did Lacey proud, knowing that she had been the one to teach Brynn that move. Malfoy had taken the sound punishment with an air of extreme bad grace. Flipping his hair behind him, he had all but flounced out of the great hall, broke something in the entrance way that he promised Dumbledore he would replace later, and returned moments later flashing a seething glance at Brynn before their session finally came to a close.

Now he had taken it upon himself to show up at their door in front of an astonished Brynn, who had just finished her shower. Lacey looked like Christmas had come early when he stepped in saying he would like an apology, only to have Brynn look at her flabbergasted before she launched into a volley of verbal assaults. Swatting Brynn with her towel, she said simply, "play nice kids," before stepping into the bath for her own shower. She spent most of the time under the water laughing at the raised voices just on the other side of the door. Barely ten minutes in they had finally died down and she presumed that they had either cleared up the negative feelings or tried to kill each other one. When at last she stepped out into the steamy room, she heard nothing at all, but no sooner had she toweled off and changed than she heard a single whimper issue from the other side of the door.

"Oh, what did he do to my girl," Lacey wondered, her maternal instincts firing up at once. Kellye may be full of vitriol and a solid left hook, but underneath she had a truly soft heart that was easily bruised. Lacey hung her towel on a knob by the door and gently eased it open, only to freeze in the doorway. There, rather than crying her eyes out, lay Brynn sprawled out and writhing on one of the scarlet draped beds while a familiar blonde head seemed to be giving her nether regions its fullest attentions. Saying not a word, Lacey backed straight up and closed the door soundlessly. She did a quick about face and shot straight through the other side of the bathroom into another dormitory. The shock finally gave way to mirth halfway down the stairs when she lost all composure, dropped right down on the stone steps and laughed until she snorted. _Thank god_, she thought, _I didn't take Sev's bet_.

***

When she finally felt that she had control of herself enough to walk into the common room, Lacey schooled her face into a bland expression and skirted through the stone archway to find half the guys camped out and poring over the information they had on the suspected Death Eaters. Dodds and Thorpe were by the fireplace with a map of Hogsmeade and its environs that Dumbledore had given them, but it was Hancock and Thom who looked up from the settee when she entered.

"What you up there cacklin' for?" Hancock said with a crooked grin. "Brynn and that Malfoy diva finally swap that kickin' and swingin' for some bumpin' and grindin'?"

"As if I'd tell you, ya lech!" countered Lacey, swatting him over the sofa while Thom snickered and waggled his eyebrows.

"Come on, you can tell us, love," said Thom. "That unresolved sexual tension isn't quite so unresolved these days is it? I could tell something was up when the screaming stopped and they still didn't come down."

"That's a'ight. They'll be screamin' again 'fore much longer," chuckled Hancock.

"Oh my god, I refuse to talk to you guys like this," snarked Lacey, starting for the door.

"Eh, does that mean you're not going to let on how things are with you and Snape then?" Thom joked. "We were hoping for some details on that one as well."

As if to lend to the validity of what he said, several heads looked up, gauging her reaction before dipping back down to their business as she chucked a throw pillow at Thom from a nearby armchair.

"That's classified beyond your clearance, airman."

"Oi, sir," said Thom with a nod at Dodds. "Think you can squeeze it out of her then?"

"Nothing doing," replied Dodds, not bothering to look up. "I like my bits attached still, thanks."

Lacey flipped them a two-fingered salute and strode out through the portrait hole. On her way downstairs it occurred to her that if they knew where she was off to now, they would never let her live it down.

***

_Anonymous call,  
__A poison pen,  
__A brick in the small of the back again  
__I just don't belong  
__To anyone  
__I am mine.  
__  
__And I am  
__Hated for loving  
__I am  
__Haunted for wanting…_

As Lacey stepped through the door she knew would be open, she smiled. Severus sat, glossing over the pages of some apparently ancient tome held in one hand as he swirled brandy in a snifter clasped in the other. He glanced up, noting the smile curving her lips and placed the items aside to stand and pull her close, inhaling her flowery scent and sliding his hands under the cadet blue tank top she wore with a simple pair of jeans. She had left her hair flowing free, already drying into springy curls around her shoulders.

"You couldn't look more like the cat with the canary if you had feathers stuck to your shirtfront," he surmised. "What's got you looking so smug."

"Well, on the down side we owe each other ten pounds. On the upside," she smirked, "it looks like I may have to bunk down here tonight."

"Is that so?" he said, pulling her body flush to his and delving his tongue into her mouth. "I suppose I should thank Malfoy for getting his head out of his arse, though I have to say we never properly shook on this bet so I don't consider it welshing if I refuse to give up a few quid for it."

"Hey, so if you don't have to, neither do I. Although I do have to add, it was a nice plus seeing him prostrate in any way. I doubt he does that often."

Severus winced. "Given the context, I think I'd rather not have known. It detracts somewhat from the idea, especially since he's bound to get something out of it."

"Yeah, I doubt he's really the type to do something if he gets nothing in return. Not exactly the altruistic sort."

"Did you really come down here to talk about Lucius?"

"No, I just got the shock of my life up there seeing one of my soldiers getting favored by someone I thought would never be caught dead on his knees, and I had to share it with somebody."

"Thanks so for that image, love. I'll file it away."

"File this away too?" she said a bit hesitantly.

"What's that?"

"Morrissey's kind of depressing."

"You know, thanks to yourself, I am finding it a bit hard to enjoy him these days." Pulling his wand from his sleeve, with a casual flick, Severus silenced the radio on one shelf of the bookcase.

"Much better. Now I've got something else I want to try on you." With that, she pushed him back down on the chair and kneeled in front of him.

"And that is?" he asked, a smile quirking up in anticipation.

In lieu of an answer, Lacey slid her hands up his inner thighs as she leaned up for a kiss. Plunging her tongue into his mouth, she dabbed it once before pulling back and nibbling his bottom lip. Even as she did so, she began unbuttoning his coat, sliding it back before continuing her assault on his neck, distracting him with her kisses while her busy hands unfastened trousers, sliding over the already burgeoning erection.

"Mmm," she said against his throat, sliding her hands back up to unbutton his shirt and pull it from the now loosened waistband. "Now, was I imagining things, or did you call me 'love'?"

"Something of the sort may have… oh god… slipped out, yes," his said, his breath already quickened.

"I thought so," she said in between lapping at the trail of course black hair snaking down from his belly button. She felt a twitch against her own throat as his now swollen penis gave a shake. Freeing it from its bindings, Lacey plied him with one long stroke from tip to base while her tongue worked the opposite way. Severus' hips arched involuntarily as he clasped his hands on either side of her head.

Continuing her slow assault on his member, Lacey began stroking idly as her mouth found other tastes and textures. A dip of the lips over his sac, flicking her tongue over each of his balls. A nip on the inside of his thigh making him jump and his cock twitch again. He was groaning audibly by this point, a dab of liquid glistening over his tip. She returned her attentions thus, sliding her mouth over his spear, convulsing her throat muscles around it and moaning deeply, the reverberations a pleasurable sensation all their own. His fingers clenched as she quickened her pace, sliding back and forth other him as her fingers slid back behind his scrotum, to the hardened spot between. She began stroking it with her fingertips, matching the rhythm of her mouth, and felt him tense. He loosed a guttural cry, then started pleading fervently.

"Oh gods, yes! There…just…ugh," Quickening her pace, she sucked harder, pushing him into the back of her throat while her fingers pulsed over his inner erection. Severus started bucking in earnest, then abruptly tensed, just before she felt the finish washing down her throat, a burning salty evidence of his satisfaction.

"So," she said smiling as she leaned in for a scorching kiss. "Does that mean you love me then?"

"Yes, gods above," he said panting, chest heaving as he settled her on his lap. "Yes, I love you. How could I not? You're everything I never thought to ask for."

Her eyes misted over at that, undeniably touched. "I love you too, better than anyone in my world or yours. What do you think of that?"

He sat, his head cocked, for only a moment before answering. "I think perhaps… we should continue this elsewhere." With that, he scooped her straight out of his lap and stood, crossing the room and kicking open the door to his

_--------------------------------------------------_

_A/N: Not to confuse anyone, but yes I did use two different songs as inspiration for this chapter. The cht. title is one by Buddy Guy (yes, blues again), but the lyrics are by Morrissey. I do see Severus as a good candidate to be a Smith's fan since he'd be in his late teens to mid-twenties by the time they hit their stride. Ergo, I used some Morrissey, which might be something he'd listen to circa 1994, which is only a couple years before our setting. The song is "I am Hated for Loving."_


	12. Chapter 12

Cht. 12, Gimme Shelter

The evening of August 31 found the happy couple savoring their last moments closeted away in Gryffindor tower. She watched, enraptured as he kissed his way from the arch of her foot to the soft underside of her knee, only pausing a moment before he trailed his lips down to the crook of her hip. Arching her back, she stifled a gasp when his fingers found purchase in the damp moist of her quim, his thumb rubbing deftly against her sensitive nub. Bucking against his hand, she reached quaking hands up to stroke over his chest, pinching nipples and clasping his hips, doing all she could to coax him closer. She found her answer to the predicament by leaning forward enough to suckle his earlobe, which had the desired effect of making him groan against her own ear.

"Oh god, pet, you'll be my undoing," he rasped before leaning down to take a taut nipple between his teeth, nipping lightly. Taunting them both with agonizing slowness, he placed the tip of his throbbing erection against her core and traced lazy circles in the slickness while grabbing her wrists and holding them up by her head.

Writhing in abandon and nearly undone already, she undulated against his steely corded muscles and linked her legs around the narrow hips of her tormentor. "Please, please, if you don't take me soon Ill lose my bleeding mind!"

"Mmmm...my darling," he crooned against her throat, a sly smile curving his lips as he felt her pulse rabbiting under his lips. "What manners you have."

"Well, I suppose since you said please, I really should comply."

A tortured cry rent deep from her belly as she once again arched her hips in an effort to place him, her hands still bound above her head. Laughing softly in her ear, he at last slid his thick member into her shaft, which clamped around him like a lifeline even as he began a slow torturous glide back and forth making her wriggle even harder against him.

"Oh Lucius, you're the living end," she said, when she found her voice again.

"So I've been told time and again," he smiled into her hair.

***

Several floors below, Lacey and Snape were enjoying one last nightcap while the strains of the Rolling Stones wafted through the air.

__

Love, sugar  
Is just a kiss away  
Just a kiss away

Lacey sat curled in Severus lap, one arm crooked around his shoulders with her head propped against the winged back of the chair as he placed his brandy snifter on the small side table and traced his fingers over her cheek. Sighing softly, he placed a kiss on her forehead and simply gazed at her as if trying to commit her face to memory.

"Exactly which one of us do you not have faith in? Is it my fighting skills or yours that you think are lacking?" It was a flimsy attempt at levity, that did nothing to dispel the heavy air in the room. Lacey could not help but think that he felt one of them would not make it out of the next nights battle.

"You know as well as I, my darling, that anything could happen," he said gravely, his mouth pursing and his fathomless eyes full of sorrow. "This could well be the last time I hold you in my arms and I want to savor it, in case it is the last memory I have."

Her eyes swam with the force of the feelings he drudged up, as she inclined her head in acceptance that what he said was absolute truth. She did not trust her voice to speak. Instead, she braced her hands on either side of his face and showered him with light kisses before placing one last breathless, desperate kiss on his curving lips.

"Severus, I love you to the ends of the earth. Even if I don't get to say it every day hereafter, you know it regardless. And should it be you who doesn't come through--though I can't imagine why you wouldn't--I know you feel the same."

"To the ends of the earth, dearest," he replied, before pressing a kiss to her lips as they trembled. Bracing his arms around her slight form, he lifted her as he stood and carried her over to the bed. At his approach the coverlet and sheets turned down, allowing him to slide her between them.

-----------------------------------------------------

A/N: I know, it's such a quick tease, but this story is nearly done. Two more chapters and that's it! So I'm working on it.


	13. Chapter 13

Cht. 13, Through Darkness, Light

__

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.  
Martin Luther King, Jr.

They lingered in bed as long as they dared, trying to drag their last moments out as much as possible. By eleven, however, the whole delegation met in the great hall for an early lunch to suss out the final details for their attack. Members of the British magical ministry came as well. Aurors, a sort of wizarding FBI group, made up the majority of that contingency, in addition to one hit wizard, a leader in their equivalent of a police force, and the minister of magic himself, Rufus Scrimgeour, who as it turned out had been in law enforcement as well.

They were also joined by a type of vigilante group headed up by Dumbledore himself, and a few teens, including part of the Weasley family, and a boy, Longbottom, whose parents had been aurors.

They ate minimally, not wanting to fill up and try to fight on heavy stomachs, but rather satiated themselves and spent the remaining time making last minute adjustments and plans. Finally, the wizards cast Disillusionment spells on themselves while the soldiers geared up with grease paint and camouflage. Their already loaded packs were swung on their shoulders and they moved out as a group, down the steep hill through the gates and into the forest. From here they split up, Lacey, Hancock and Thorpe, plus five of the other airmen gathered around a portkey that lit up promptly at one to take them to the platform where they would board the train for the lengthy ride back up to Scotland. Although it was later than the children would have boarded, they still felt as though it was an eternal wait to get back to their rendezvous point.

Having already evacuated the village, the remnants of the entourage circled around it before moving down the depot and into the woods beyond. Dodds, Brynn, Thom and the remaining airmen staked out their prearranged positions in the forest surrounding the depot. They layered leaves and brush over camouflage nets and hunkered down behind trees and shrubs to settle in and wait for the evening to approach, their night vision goggles stowed away in the side pocket of their pants until the sun began to set.

The wizards, meanwhile, took up their own posts. Malfoy naturally stationed himself near Brynn, on the pretense that he distrusted the abilities of her compatriots. He was joined by Gawain Robards, who turned out to be an old friend of the family. Snape, likewise, positioned himself in the depot with the aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt, right where Lacey would be arriving. The rest of the wizards stationed themselves throughout the forest from the tree line to deep within, Dumbledore himself circled the area with Scrimgeour casting a spell to negate anyones ability to disapparate from the grounds.

***

Hours later, when the sun had fully set and the new moon rose in the darkened sky, the train chugged slowly into the station as the soldiers and aurors advanced to the doors of the cars. Silently, Lacey and Hancock signaled to the others to go out low and watched as her team all crouched down, weapons raised. The engine ground to a halt, brakes hissing as the doors popped open and all hell broke loose. The station platform erupted in a cacophony of machine gun fire, bullets dropping everywhere as the airmen advanced out of the train. The Death Eaters closest to the doors littered the ground, and the ones on the ground had already tried to bolt and run at the sound of shots reporting in the night air.

Lacey could feel the surge of panic and rage as soon as the Death Eaters realized they had been ambushed when the opposing side switched from attack mode to defense, but she knew it would do them no good. No sooner had they headed for the cover of the woods, then the second wave of fighters surrounded them between the depot and the forest, and hexes began firing through the air as swiftly as bullets. She leapt off the platform as jets of light whizzed by her and bullets whistled over her head. The greenish glow of her goggles showed shapes everywhere in front of her and she was secretly thankful for the glowing star on the right cheek of everyone who sided with the magical ministry and the order of the Phoenix. By this point, some of the so-called Death Eaters had lost their masks and might have been indistinguishable from the wizards she did not know that well. Thankfully, they had all agreed upon and taken the magical brand to be able to tell each other apart.

Lacey ducked down early on and pulled her Glock from the ankle holster on her right leg. The forest was far too densely populated to risk hitting one of her own, so she ran firing shots from the service weapon as she reached into her pants leg pocket for the taser that was now on its highest setting. She ran through underbrush and picked off two dark wizards still wearing masks, then tased one who had his back to her while he battled with Snape. Severus barely spared her a glance before firing off a hex at a Death Eater that charged to her right.

Hundreds of feet away, Brynn popped off a few shots herself before tucking and rolling to avoid a killing curse sent by a humongous blond Death Eater. Lacey came crashing through a cluster of large ferns and riddled the pockmarked man with bullets before buffeting him to the ground. Brynn rasped out a thanks before turning and engaging another. As big as the prior Death Eater had been, the one that suddenly loomed before Lacey was even bigger and she knew why. From the straggly gray hair and rancid breath she would have known him, but the photos that Severus had provided surfaced in her mind as Lacey dropped her taser and unsheathed the sword at her hip. Greyback smiled lethally as they circled each other.

"You'll do no harm to me with that, missy," he taunted.

"I'll take you a piece at a time if I have to," she said, wishing fervently that there was some trace of silver in the sword. He lunged, just as her gut told her to parry and they began a macabre dance where she thrust and he turned, he swiped and she spun away. Their singularly pitched battle was rent by a flash of blue light connecting with her sword as she heard a cry from behind, "argentum!" and turned to see Malfoy give her a nod before swiftly engaging another Death Eater who tried to catch him off guard. In that split second she sliced through the air with the sword and caught the werewolf in the belly. Even as his blood spilled out on the ground, his eyes focused in on the gleaming sword, now turned to solid silver.

Not bothering to pick up the taser, Lacey continued to fight, gun in one hand and sword in the other. She cut a swath back towards Severus, who was fighting two at once, a grimace of concentration on his visage and beads of sweat dotting his forehead. She had seen him in action in practice, but now realized that he had in fact held back. He whirled like a dervish, slashing, parrying and thrusting, never slowing. Then she stepped forward and took out the one on his right with a single shot.

It was just in time that she did, as no sooner did the Death Eater drop to the ground, then she spied a blood chilling sight behind him. The largest snake she had ever seen took advantage of his distraction to slither up behind Severus. Knowing its strike was imminent, Lacey spun and sliced her sword in an arc through the air, lopping off the head of the great serpent and sending it spinning and writhing into the undergrowth.

***

Nearby on a rise overlooking the scene, Harry was battling it out with Rodolphus Lestrange, husband of the she-demon of the Death Eaters. He ducked to avoid a stinging hex and caught the man under the arm with a knockout curse.

As he straightened, his gaze flicked up to catch a dark robed figure moving away as he shouted orders to the Death Eaters close by. Seeing his chance, and not wanting Voldemort to slither away yet again, Harry took aim. "Petrificus totalus!" he shouted. The spell caught Voldemort in the back as Harry began running towards him, determined to get a better shot. Just as he neared the next rise, where Voldemort stood transfixed, the dark wizard abruptly spun, having broken the curse. In the split second before his wand slashed down, ripping a curse through the boy's body, a second body slammed him to the ground. Instead of Harry, the curse flashed green point blank between Voldemort and Ron, the youngest Weasley boy, who had rushed onto the scene. Everyone froze for a moment before a scream rent the air. Hermione Granger, best friend to both, stood at the edge of the slope, clawing against Malfoy who held her, trying to get to the top of the hill. "No, Ron!" she cried, tears leaving grimy tracks down her dirty cheeks. "No, please, no!"

Malfoy held the still struggling girl, trying to reason with her, even as he shot curses and deflected others. "Be still, Granger!" he shouted, shaking her once. "There's nothing you can do for him now."

As he said this, Voldemort shoved Ron's body off of him and stood to face Harry who wand leveled at him. No sooner had the dark wizard pulled himself upright and begun to laugh, then Harry jabbed the wand squarely in his chest.

"Avada Kedavra!" the boy shouted, his eyes wild. As the smile faded from Voldemort's face, his knees buckling, Harry looked down at his adversary and lowered the wand. "You're right. You do have to mean it."

Hermione by that point had stopped struggling, Malfoy still hanging onto her. He looked aghast at Harry for only a moment before tapping his throat once with his wand. "Sonorus," he said, then spoke up, his voice echoing through the forest. "The Dark Lord is dead. Any Death Eater or sympathizer, still alive, is advised to lower his wand and surrender or face the consequences. You are now under arrest for insurrection, attempted murder, and conspiracy."

"NO! Traitor!" screamed Bella lunging at Malfoy from behind. As she slashed her wand at him there was a loud crack. She gave a tortured wail before falling to the ground twitching. When she dropped, Malfoy spun around to face Brynn, standing over the prone witch. Brynn still held her taser out, surveying the woman at her feet. With a quick spell, Lucius bound and gagged Bella before taking her wand. Brynn finally lowered the taser and stepped over Bella, even while the barely conscious woman's muscles still quivered in the aftermath of such a strong shock.

"Most everyone's surrendered already. They realized when old Voldy didn't speak up that he really was gone." She surveyed the scene as she spoke. Hermione and Harry were both hobbling away from Voldemort's corpse. Harry bent down and rolled Ron over, closing his eyes as Hermione watched, weeping silently. Brynn swayed silently, suddenly dizzy.

"You fight like a demon, Lucius said admiringly," then caught her arm as she swayed again. "Now there, don't let's fall apart yet, pet." He led her to a large oak and let her lean against it.

"I told you I haven't felt at all well these past few days."

"Well then," he replied, "plenty of time to sort it all out now." He looked around once again to see most of the aurors still alive and ushering bound Death Eaters back to the depot to be port keyed to a holding cell in Azkaban to await trial. Lupin was crouched down over Greyback's body shaking his head, but looking as though a huge weight had come off his shoulders. And there, across the clearing near a copse of pine trees, was his oldest and truest friend. Smiling. Severus showed no signs of caring that he was being watched as he wrapped his arms around the tiny woman before him and lifted her off the ground in a bone crunching hug. Finally, despite everything he had witnessed already, this one sign breached Malfoy's battle weary mind. Everything was going to change now, and it was okay.

Lucius Malfoy, who had been raised his entire life to hate the people who had helped to down perhaps the darkest wizard of all time, smiled as he watched his friend bask in the love of one of them. Turning his head back to Brynn, he knew that he shared those feelings, and that there were much worse fates.

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A/N: Im basing the timing for this thing on both the movie (POA) and books. The Hogwarts Express chugs out at eleven; in the movie Hermione mentions that Dufftown is not far from the castle; from Kings Cross to Dufftown would be about ten hours, give or take. Yes, Im that anal, and no wonder the kids are starving by the time they get there...even with that stupid lunch trolley.


	14. Chapter 14

Cht. 14, Aftermath

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Eight months later

Lucius and Severus were reclining on the leather divan before the smoking room fire, a glass of cognac in one hand and a hand-rolled Cuban in the other. Severus, silently admiring his green snake boots, which had been a Christmas gift from Lacey, glanced over at his silent friend. Despite a calm front, Lucius' glass belied the level of his nerves, as it was significantly lower than Snape's. He had been thrown unceremoniously from his own bedroom after being deemed a coward and the foulest cockroach ever to slither across the face of the earth. In an effort to calm him, Lacey had sent for Severus, whose answer was to ply the man with cigars and liquor. Two floors up, Lacey tried to reason with her friend.

"Come on, girl! You can do this," coached Lacey. "Breathe through it, honey."

"I fecking AM breathing," growled the girl as another large contraction wracked her body. She was doubled up near the foot of the bed with a medi-wizard that she swore was useless and a mid-wife who had gone back to trying to feed her ice chips. It was incredibly brave of the woman, considering the new Mrs. Malfoy had tried to punch her when the old lady started patting her hand.

"Here we are then," the medi-wizard piped up, "we've got shoulders, so just one more big push, my girl and you're through for the duration."

"Oh _goddamn _Lucius," gasped Kellye, scrunching up her face as she bent nearly in two again. "How could he do this to me?"

Standing next to her friend, Lacey considered it prudent not to point out that Kellye had opened herself up for it quite literally. Instead she stood blithely by, feeling the mother of all bruises on her arm from the younger girl clinging to it in her pain. _When my time comes_, thought Lacey idly stroking her burgeoning belly with her free hand, _she's getting all this paid back_.

"Ah, there," crooned the mid-wife as a hearty cry rent the air. She moved to stand by the medi-wizard and take the squalling pink baby who had just been ushered into the world. The medi-wizard swiftly clipped the cord and allowed the nurse to swaddle the child.

"Looks like you have a healthy baby girl, Mrs. Malfoy," he said beaming as though the ordeal had never taken place. "Congratulations, madam."

No sooner had he said this, then the nurse placed the baby in Kellye's arms. Her eyes filling with tears as she looked upon her daughter for the first time, the new mother laughed as she looked back up to her friend. "She's completely bald, poor thing."

"Well, no," said Lacey, running a finger over the soft little head. "She's just really really blond, honey."

"Oh," crooned Kellye, tearing up again. "She looks like her daddy."

As she said this, the medi-wizard exited, stopping only to shake hands with Lucius, who was already on his way inside. Malfoy crossed to his wife, planted a lingering kiss on her forehead and promptly swept the baby into his arms.

"A girl?" he asked incredulously, before breaking into a smug smile and settling down on the edge of the bed next to Kellye. He looked up at her wonderingly and said, "what in the world will I do now with two women in my life?"

"Spend entirely too much time with me, I wager," said Severus, surveying the scene from the doorway.

"Bollocks," said Malfoy.

"Step inside, Severus and meet my daughter. Livia Maria Malfoy," he boasted, placing the baby in Snape's arms before he could protest.

The tiny child opened her bleary eyes and met Severus' dark ones. For one breathless moment they simply stared at each other and Lacey felt her own eyes well up. The spell lasted for only a minute before she started wriggling and fussing, and Kellye held out her arms to try feeding.

Leaving the new mom and dad with their attentions wrapped up in their child, Lacey and Severus stepped quietly out the door and Flooed back home from the sitting room downstairs. They stepped out onto a Persian rug in the living room of the Prince cottage, and Severus led a yawning, waddling Lacey back to their bed. When they were both settled, Lacey sighed deeply, looking down at their linked hands and the diamond engagement ring glittering in the firelight.

"Four more months and that'll be us," she said.

Severus tipped his head forward and placed a kiss on her shoulder as he spooned around her. "And if Malfoy doesn't return in kind with a bottle of mulled mead, we are no longer friends."

Lacey swatted him and snorted. "He looked really happy to have a girl. I was surprised."

"Things are much better now between he and Draco. Besides, there is no pressure to continue the lineage. He can be happy enough to spoil the child until the end of the earth."

"And I'm sure he will, but he won't be the only one."

At that, Severus spread his hands wide over her rounded belly. "Father's privilege," he said.

"Do you think he'll take after you?"

"Perish the thought," said Severus wryly. "Although I will say this nose--and I should have warned you--does breed true. I'm afraid he's stuck with it."

"Ah, well," she said, patting his hand. "You know what they say about big noses..." She began to laugh, only to shriek when he dipped his mouth to her neck and began tickling the sensitive flesh there.

"Just kidding, just kidding! I surrender," she giggled, "stop!"

And there he left off, cradling her in his arms and nuzzling her hair as they both drifted off to sleep. It was only a matter of weeks until summer holidays, and little more than a year until Lacey's retirement. Once the baby was born and she said goodbye to the military, they would be married down by the pond with its family of swans and its peaceful trickling waterfall. It would be a simple affair, with only close friends, not nearly as private as the sudden elopement months earlier of magical Britain's elite patriarch. Malfoy had made headlines when he shocked the entire wizarding world by marrying a Muggle. Pureblood society had been even more scandalized to find that his new wife was already pregnant.

Severus, thankfully, would have to deal with none of that to-do. He still had several years left until his own retirement, but without the cloud of Voldemort hanging over his head, he even found that he enjoyed teaching nowadays. Now he could relax with his classes and bond with the students--a thing he never thought that he would see himself doing. Nevertheless, he looked forward to his nights at home, and so long as there was not a Hogsmeade weekend or nightly duty, he Flooed back to his little cabin in the woods to his fiancée who had been equipped with a Floo service of her own, connected to her major's office. To Snape's mind, it was the perfect set-up. And as he lay his head beside the mother of his child, he thought, this surely was the perfect end to a perfect day.

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Livia, first empress of Rome  
Maria, last empress of Rome  
(both consorts)


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